


Homecoming

by Samuel412



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2018-11-03 09:10:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 96,498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10964151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samuel412/pseuds/Samuel412
Summary: It's been 5 years since Weiss left Atlas, and a lot has changed there since. But when Weiss and Ruby take a mission there, Weiss must deal with the pain of coming home. She soon discovers that her escape set events in motion with a far greater scope than she could have ever anticipated.





	1. Chapter 1

The storage room was silent, save for the low droning hum of the server rooms on the floors beneath. The room was tucked away in a low maintenance area of the facility, on the upper levels. No personnel patrolled on this level. There were no security cameras or motion sensors. Robotic security units only patrolled through every 15 minutes or so. In one corner of the room, near the ceiling, there was an air-vent just large enough for a person to fit through. The brief trip through the ventilation system, from the roof to this particular vent, did have a few motion sensors, but these were easily circumvented. The room was perfect as an entry point.

One by one, the screws holding the vent cover in place fell to the floor. To a casual observer, it would appear they were falling of their own accord. But if one looked closely, one would see a tiny white glyph appearing around each one, and rotating to unscrew it. As the last screw came loose, the vent cover slipped and fell from the opening. A white-gloved hand slipped out and grabbed the cover, then delicately pulled it back into the duct. A figure slipped out of the duct, clad in the same white as her gloves, and landed on the floor without the slightest sound. Her outfit was sleek, form-fitting, and covered her entire body, save for a slit for her eyes in the white balaclava. She stood, scanned the room, then tapped her earpiece.

"I'm in," She said.

"Good work, Winter," Said the voice on the other end, "Proceed to server room 3, on level 4. Remember, it's two floors below you."

Winter crept over to the door to the room, cracked it open, and peaked out. The coast looked clear. She slipped out of the room and hugged one wall as she moved.

"Winter, don't forget," Her earpiece said, "Stealth is paramount. If you're detected, they'll cut outside network connections immediately."

"Isn't the data we're after stored here?" Winter whispered, "We don't need to access the network."

"The idea is to make them think we accessed the network so that they don't know what we stole."

"Well, stealth isn't really my specialty, General."

"You're an Atlas Specialist. Everything is your specialty. And don't call me General."

"Yes sir, General Ironwood, sir."

Winter reached the door to the staircase. Carefully pushing in the bar, she cracked the door open. She heard movement below. Guards chatting idly. She waited for the right moment to move. After a few seconds, she heard a door open, then close, and then the staircase was silent. She slipped out onto the sixth floor stairwell and carefully shut the door behind her. She snuck down the stairs, ears peeled for any sounds. She reached the fifth floor doorway, and gave it a cautious stare as she slipped past.

"How do the skies look?" She asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Standard air patrols," Ironwood reported, "The new stealth system works well. Focus on your objective."

"Well, you're my way out of here," Winter said, "Hate it when my ride is late."

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving without you."

Winter reached the door on the fourth floor. She carefully pushed it open and stepped through. She took a second to align the appearance of the hallway with the layout of the building she'd memorized. Then, she snuck forward in the direction of the server room. A right, a left, and another right, and she'd be there. The only risk along the way was a break room that was sure to have guards in it. Any of them could step out into the hall.

As she rounded the corner, she was surprised to see that the break room had a window that opened to the hallway. Gritting her teeth, she crept towards it, hugging the wall. Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled beneath the window. Her breath caught in her throat as she heard laughter from within the room. Some guard telling an anecdote or finishing a crude joke. Taking a deep breath, she slipped past the - mercifully closed- door and hurriedly moved around the next corner. She saw the door to the server room. It was a big, metal, heavy-looking door. It seemed barely thinner than the wall it was a part of. There was a small number pad next to the door, the buttons glowing a soft blue.

"I've reached the room," Winter reported, "Let's hope this works."

She held out a scroll, positioning it just under the panel. She activated the security decryption software and waited for it to work. A progress bar slowly crossed the screen. Winter nervously looked up and down the hall. The progress bar halted for just a second before completing, before displaying the numbers 91305. Winter entered the code into the number pad. The door beeped, and swung open inward. Winter stepped inside, and the door swung shut behind her.

"I'm in the server room, General." She said.

"Good work," Ironwood said, "You're looking for tower J2."

Winter snuck over the the server tower labelled J2. She pulled an adaptor cable from a pouch on her waist and plugged it into her scroll, than into the tower. Tapping on the screen, she began navigating through the system, looking for file storage.

"There's a lot here," She whispered, "Personnel files, logistics information... wait, here. Sir, there's data here on every black project they're working on."

"We don't have time," Ironwood said, "Get what we came for, then upload the file."

"Alright, here it is. Project Harbinger. Downloading." Winter reported.

The download completed, and Winter quickly worked to upload the file. The file was a program that would, after a delay, trigger a detectable breach of the military network. Just as Winter was about to hit the upload button, an alarm began blaring in the room.

"Uh oh," Winter said.

"What just happened?" Ironwood demanded, "There was supposed to be a time delay so you could get out!"

"I didn't upload it, sir!" Winter said, "Shit! They detected the data access! They know what I just stole."

"Get out of there, right now." Ironwood ordered.

Winter unplugged the scroll, pocketed it, and ran to the door. There was another number pad on the inside. She punched in the code. The pad flashed red. Winter gritted her teeth. She could here movement outside- the security team gathering and preparing to breach. Winter drew her sword from its sheath. She jumped up above the door and stabbed the sword into the wall. Hanging against the wall, she waited for the door to open.

"It would be really great if you guys were hesitant about opening fire in here." She whispered.

The door flew open, and a group of four AK-250 androids charged into the room. They scanned the room, sweeping the server towers with their rifles. Before they had a chance to look up, Winter dropped down to meet them. With a flurry of slashes, she took all four of them to pieces before her feet hit the ground. She looked out the door at the two guards covering the door. They took a moment to stare in surprise as the 250s crumbled around her. Winter burst forward, spun, and slashed the rifle of the guard on the left in half, simultaneously chopping the other guard in the neck with her free hand. She kicked the disarmed guard in the chest, sending him flying back into another guard. The guard she'd struck was gasping for breath. She grabbed him by the arm, and repelled off the wall opposite the door to get around him, twisting his arm behind his back. She put her sword to his throat, and held him close to her. The others all levelled their weapons at her. She backed up slowly, fully aware she was backing away from her escape route.

Behind her more 250s charged around the corner. The Atlesian Knight 250s were a gaudy, intimidating design, covered in black armour, with glowing red eyes. Winter pulled her sword away from the guard's neck, put her foot to his back, and flipped backwards. She created a black glyph in the air that she passed through, shooting her towards the droids with sudden speed. She hit the little switch on her sword as she flew, deploying her second, smaller sword from within the larger one. She spun in the air, becoming a whirlwind of blades as she met the droids. Arms, legs, and heads of metal were cleaved off as Winter flew through the group. She took advantage of her momentum and hit the ground running. She dashed around the corner and was sprinting down the next hall.

"Gonna need a new extraction point," She reported, "The south-side landing pad."

"I'll be there," Ironwood reported, "Security all over this place is going nuts. Stealth or no stealth, they'll find me soon."

As Winter sprinted, the door down the hall in front of her burst open, and more guards piled out. Winter clicked her swords back together, and sheathed the weapon. She turned her sprint into a slide, grabbing one of the guards by the ankle as she reached them. He was yanked clean off his feet and yelled in surprise before slamming into the ground. Winter popped up, chopping the guard on her left in his side, and elbowing the third in the temple. The fourth raised his rifle at her. She grabbed it, twisted it out of his hands, and thrust the butt of it into the face of the guard on the left. The guard who's rifle she'd taken threw out a punch. She caught his fist, yanked it towards her, then punched his elbow out of its socket. The guard she'd elbowed had recovered, and attempted to aim his side arm at her. She grabbed his wrist, twisted the barrel away from herself, then grabbed him by the head, and brought it down onto her knee. The first guard was still trying to get back up. She swung around, brought up her leg, and axe-kicked him. He stopped trying to get up.

The south-side landing pad of the building was designed for bullheads. It extended out from the third floor. However, there was a window on the fourth floor that overlooked it. Winter sprinted down the hall to the south side of the building, and dove through the window, kicking through the glass effortlessly. She flipped and landed, glass shards falling like snow around her. She looked up and scanned the sky. It was a dark, late-autumn night, with few stars to be seen through the thick clouds. A few bullheads were flying about, searchlights scanning the area. Winter wasn't looking for those ones. She caught a glimpse of a slight shimmer in the air overhead. A bullhead suddenly seemed to appear in mid-air, as its cloak deactivated. It swung around and came to a hover just off the edge of the landing pad.

"Miss Schnee, your limo has arrived," Ironwood said, through the earpiece.

Winter grinned and dashed forward, onto the landing pad. She was halfway across when the bullhead suddenly lurched away.

"Heads up!" Ironwood shouted.

Winter barely had time to look up to see a massive shape dropping down from above her. The massive form of a spider-droid slammed down onto the pad in front of her, knocking her backwards. As she tumbled back, she twisted and landed onto her feet again. The spider-droid turned to face her, priming its weapons. Winter drew her sword.

"You're gonna have to get past that thing and make a jump!" Ironwood said, "Aerial interceptors are inbound! There's no time to fight it!"

A missile pod popped up from the back of the spider-droid and turned towards Ironwood's bullhead. A cluster of mini-missiles fired out of it, straight at the aircraft.

"Oh, shit!" Ironwood shouted, thrusting the bullhead forward.

The missiles just barely missed the bullhead. They remained in cluster formation and began to arc around, locked onto their target. Meanwhile, the spider-droid fired its main plasma cannon at Winter. She dodged to one side as the tarmac exploded. Thrusting forward, she slashed one of its legs, to no effect. The droid was a new model, and heavily armoured. It backed away from her and brought its cannon around.

The cluster of missiles streaked back towards the bullhead. Ironwood looked between the missiles and building to one side and realized he didn't have time to move. Bursting up from the pilot seat, he dove to the passenger bay, where the doors on both side were wide open. He drew his revolver and fired on the incoming mini-missiles, picking each one out of the air. The bullhead lurched slightly as its auto-pilot took control. Ironwood turned and took aim at the spider-droid on the landing pad below him. The spider-droid fired at Winter. She leapt straight up, rebounding off a glyph to maintain height. This time the plasma cannon's shot struck the side of the building, blowing up a massive chunk of the wall. Winter redirected herself in mid-air, shooting down at the spider-droid and slashing at its cannon. A machine gun turret deployed from its side and fired. Winter jumped back, deflecting the shots with her sword, and landing back on the tarmac. The entire plasma cannon began transforming into a lighter, faster heavy machine gun. Instead of aiming at Winter, it swung around took aim at the bullhead. Ironwood fired down at it, to no effect.

Winter and Ironwood met eyes for a moment. The rotary cannons of the droid began to spin up. Winter charged, leapt at the droid, and landed on top of it. She stabbed her sword down into one of its optical sensors. With her other hand, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll. She threw it as hard as she could at Ironwood. Ironwood snatched it out of the air, and looked down at her.

"Just, go!" Winter said, "I'll be fine!"

Ironwood nodded. He dashed back to the controls, switched them back to manual, and slammed the thruster forward. The bullhead shot away from the facility. The spider-droid opened fire, and a handful of 20mm slugs struck the back of the aircraft as it sped into the distance.

Winter withdrew her sword, and jumped off the droid. She landed on the tarmac, and looked up to see guards pouring out of the building, training their weapons on her. The spider-droid swung around and levelled its machine gun at her. Winter sighed, and tossed her sword to the ground. She reached up, and pulled the balaclava from her head, letting her hair fall down around her face. She smiled, and raised her arms, in as much of a shrug as a surrender.

The leader of the guards was dressed in black. His hair was shaved on one side and spiked on the other. He didn't have a gun, instead he was wearing a pair of combat gauntlets, that looked to have mini-rocket thrusters built into them. His uniform indicated he held the rank of Colonel. He walked up to Winter, a grin on his face that was a mix of casual and cruel.

"Atlas Specialist Winter Schnee," Winter stated, "ID number 15-"

The Colonel cut her off by punching her in the side of the head, knocking her to the ground. Winter cried out in pain, and clutched her head.

"Under Atlas Military Protocol 47-32, you are required to contact-"

"Shut up." The Colonel ordered, kicking her in the face, and knocking her out.

The other guards gathered around her, weapons still at the ready, expecting her to jump back up. She laid still on the ground, unconscious.

"Take her to Schnee." The Colonel ordered.

* * *

Former General James Ironwood slammed his fist down on the control panel of the bullhead. The aircraft rocketed away from the facility, and from Winter. Rubbing a hand through his beard, James' mind wandered to all the things that could happen to Winter in captivity. He looked at the co-pilot's seat, where Winter had sat when they flew in. Now it was just her scroll laying there. Ironwood rubbed his eyes and shook his head. He'd made tough calls all throughout his career. It wasn't the first time somebody had to be left behind. But it always hurt.

He saw that he had gotten far enough to not worry about interception by enemy aircraft. He switched on the auto-pilot and sat back in his seat. He looked down at the scroll, which now held the intel they'd come for. He slammed his fist into the control panel again. Then, he pulled out his own scroll. He tapped in the number of his contact. He stared at the number as he waited for an answer.

"Well, hello hello," Came the voice of his contact, "How did it go? Did you get the intel?"

"Security was tighter than we anticipated," Ironwood said, "Winter was... captured. I had to leave her behind."

"I didn't ask about Winter, I asked if you got the intel." The contact said.

Ironwood grunted in anger.

"We got it," He said, "She had to throw it to me when she-"

"That's great news! Now the odds are immeasurably against us instead of completely hopelessly."

"They detected Winter accessing the data," Ironwood said, "If they know what she took, they'll know we're trying to stop it."

"So we have to hurry the plan up a bit, and also recruit more help because you lost your best soldier."

"...Yeah," Ironwood said, "That about sums it up. Who can we get to help?"

"Oh, let's see," The contact said, chuckling, "I might have a few ideas. What's Winter's sister doing these days?"


	2. Chapter 2

Weiss Schnee stepped off the elevator, shifting her hold on the bag of groceries in her arm. It was far later in the evening than when Weiss had intended on getting home. Her eyelids were getting heavy, and every few breathes came out a deep yawn. Walking down the hall, she went fumbling in her pocket for her room key. She fished it out from underneath her scroll, selected the right key, and slid it into the lock on the apartment door. She stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind her.

"Ruby, are you here?" She called, stepping into the kitchen and setting the bag on the counter.

Ruby stepped into sight around the edge of the door. She was wearing her usual outfit, a corset covered with a leather jacket of deep red, and a pair of black jeans. Weiss wasn't in her own combat outfit, instead wearing a simple white blouse with blue jeans. Ruby smiled, and immediately wrapped Weiss in a hug.

"Hey, Weiss. I got back a few hours ago." Ruby said, "You were at the school?"

"Yes," Weiss said, "Grading tests. Those kids love using Dust tech but couldn't understand or care less how it actually works. Did you get the payment for the job at the platform?"

Ruby held up a small stack of lien cards. The two of them had earned them killing yet another massive Sea Grimm that had crawled up out of the ocean on an offshore Dust mining platform. New sources of Dust were getting harder to find on land, and it was driving the Dust industry to mine beneath the ocean floor. Lately, this had been waking up all sorts of monsters which had been sleeping for who knows how long. The creature Weiss and Ruby had faced most recently had been so tough, they'd had to lure it into the path of the mining platform's massive plasma drill in order to put it down. Ruby's idea, of course.

"That's good to see," Weiss said, "I'm exhausted. Is there coffee on?"

"Oh, yeah, um, its in the living room," Ruby said, "We actually have..."

Weiss had stepped through the kitchen door and around the corner, bringing the living room into view. There, standing patiently near the picture window overlooking Vale, was James Ironwood. He was a far sight from how he looked when he was still a General in the Atlas Military. He wore a black overcoat over his white shirt and pants, The straps of his side holster crossing his chest. His beard made him look far older than he actually was. It was long, and showed signs of grey, but it was still well-groomed.

"Miss Schnee," Ironwood said, "Its good to see you again."

"Oh, uh, General Ironwood, Sir," Weiss said, "Good to see you."

"Its actually just Ironwood, now," He said, "Or James, if you prefer."

"How about Jimmy?" Ruby asked, "Isn't that what Qrow used to call you?"

"Or James. If you prefer." Ironwood replied.

Weiss stood a little straighter, and offered Ironwood her hand. He shook it, with a nod.

"Miss Rose was telling me you two took down a Leviathan offshore," Ironwood said, "That's good Huntsman work. Very impressive."

"We did what we could," Weiss said.

"Those platforms need all the defence they can get," Ironwood said, shaking his head, "Grimm numbers have plummeted all over the world since Salem's defeat, and these Dust companies respond by plumbing the depths, waking up more of them."

"What the platforms need is something permanent," Ruby said, "They didn't have turrets, or security bots... all they could do was call for Huntsmen and wait for us to show up. People were killed before we could get there. People who might not have if..."

"A Huntsman or Huntress should keep in mind the people they did save, not those they couldn't," Ironwood said.

Ruby nodded at this, but her lips were still pursed in dissatisfaction.

"...Anyway, Gen... ah, James... no, that feels weird... Ironwood," Weiss said, causing Ruby to snicker, "What brings you all the way to Vale?"

"I'm glad you asked," Ironwood said.

"He has a job for us," Ruby reported.

"A job offer," Ironwood said, "The job is a sensitive matter, and a bit... legally ambiguous. I'm offering it to you, but I want you to understand you have no obligation to take it."

"Would this job be in Atlas?" Weiss asked.

"Yes, it would."

"That's not ambiguous, Ironwood," Weiss said, "Huntsman work in Atlas is illegal."

"Hence why it is entirely up to you whether you want to take it," Ironwood said, "But if you do, you could potentially do a lot of good."

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other. Ruby shrugged. Of course the chance to do good was all Ruby needed to hear about. She was as eager to be helpful now as ever. Weiss was a little more apprehensive- not because she cared less about it than Ruby, but because she was more considerate of the consequences.

"We've skirted legal lines before, right?" Ruby asked.

"Well..." Weiss sighed, "What's the job?"

Ironwood looked between them, then reached into his coat. He produced a scroll, and handed it to Ruby. She opened it and saw a list of files. She tapped the first one, and began scrolling through the document. Weiss peered over her shoulder, begrudgingly curious.

"The information on that scroll was taken from a server in the Atlas Military Network. Most of what we took is still encrypted. The files that aren't-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Weiss said, "You stole this from the military? This isn't just an Atlas job, you want us to take on the military?"

"We'll be discrete. Its a stealth job," Ironwood said, "If all goes well, they'll never identify you."

"That does change things, sir," Ruby said, "This isn't the War. Or the Battle of Mistral. Huntresses aren't political weapons; we defend the Kingdoms, we don't work against them."

"This isn't some clandestine political manoeuvre," Ironwood said, "Its an investigation into a weapon that could threaten the stability of the world."

Weiss glared at Ironwood.

"This is about _him_ , isn't it?" Weiss asked.

"...The files that we can read discuss a project the military is working on. Its something big. Something new. And it started just a few months after Schnee took power."

Weiss shook her head, and looked away from the scroll.

"Its called Project Harbinger. There are a lot of whispers surrounding it. Calling it a whole new form of warfare. But every time a new tidbit of information comes out, whoever leaked it... goes missing."

"This part here is talking about a propulsion system," Ruby said, finger flicking across the screen, "What is it, some sort of robot?"

"Unknown. Like I said, a lot of the data we stole is still encrypted." Ironwood said.

"If he's trying to develop a weapon that the rest of the world can't compete with..." Weiss said, "I'm afraid to ask what he plans to do with it."

"Which is exactly why I've been trying to figure out what Harbinger is, and if necessary, how to stop it," Ironwood said, "But I need help. I have a contact in the Atlas underground, he's trying to find somebody who can decrypt the data. In the meantime, there's the operation I came to you for."

"What do we have to do?" Ruby asked.

"There's a secret weapons testing facility in the tundra, west of Atlas," Ironwood said, "Hasn't been used since the live fire exercises of the old Paladin-300s. But it was just recently cleaned up, and refurbished. I think they're preparing for a weapons test. In one week, a large number of engineers with connections to Harbinger are scheduled to be there."

"Sneak in, get a front row seat of the test, find out what Harbinger is, and get out." Ruby said.

"Precisely." Ironwood said, "Given that we'll be breaking Atlas law, I'll have to pay you off the record. However, given the risks involved, I'm willing to offer-"

"We'll do it." Weiss said.

Ironwood and Ruby both turned to Weiss. They looked equally curious.

"We will?" Ruby asked.

"This is a family matter." Weiss said, "The Schnee name has taken a fair share of hits to its reputation lately. I'm not going to stand by while it takes another. I mean, if that's alright with you, Ruby."

"Of course," Ruby said.

"Very well," Ironwood said, "Will Miss Xiao Long and Miss Belladonna be joining us?"

"They're still in Menagerie," Ruby said, "A lot going on down there, you know? If its a stealth op, we should be okay without them."

"Yeah," Weiss said, "Stealth isn't really Yang's specialty, is it?"

These words seemed to catch Ironwood's attention. He opened his mouth to say something, then apparently thought better of it.

"Well, I suppose that's it, then," He said, after a moment, "We leave for Atlas first thing tomorrow."

"How exactly are we getting there?" Weiss asked, "The borders are still locked down."

"I have a bullhead with a cloaking system," Ironwood said, "It'll get us in, and out."

"What if we lose the bullhead and we're still inside?" Ruby asked, "I don't like the idea of being stuck in Atlas."

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving without-" Ironwood began, "...We won't be trapped there."

"Your confidence is extremely reassuring," Weiss said.

"Tomorrow morning. 8 am. South-side air dock." Ironwood said, "I hope to see you there."

"We'll be there." Ruby said.

"Thank you for the coffee," Ironwood said.

And with that, he took his leave. Weiss watched as Ruby lead him to the door, then closed it behind him. Ruby came back, looking concerned.

"So, what do you think?" She asked.

"Going back to Atlas... I think its what I have to do. But still... I don't know," Weiss said.

"You don't have anything to blame yourself for," Ruby said, putting a hand on Weiss's shoulder.

"I haven't been there in 5 years," Weiss said, "What's happening there now... me leaving home set it all in motion."

"You couldn't known your father would do what he did."

"I know."

"And what's happening in Atlas isn't because of you, it's because of him. We don't have to take the job if you aren't sure about it," Ruby reassured her, "Jimmy can find somebody else."

"Whether or not it's my fault," Weiss said, "It's my responsibility. We go."

"Okay."

* * *

Later that night, Weiss finished packing her bag. A few changes of clothes and other essentials. She set the duffel bag on the double-bed, and walked over to the display case across the room. She opened the glass door and lifted Myrtenaster out. It hadn't changed much over the years. The blade was a little flatter, and the hilt was slightly-curved, like a pistol-grip. Weiss set the sword down next to the bag, and grabbed a few Dust cartridges as well. She closed the display case, thought for a moment, and sighed. She bent down and opened the lower-most drawer on the case. There were a few assorted items in there, most of them Ruby's. A weapon maintenance kit with half the tools missing, a few old bullet casings, a few weapons catalogues and magazines. There was one thing that belonged to Weiss that she hadn't looked at in some time. A picture frame, laying face down, wedged into one corner.

Weiss picked up the frame, and looked at the picture. The Schnee family portrait didn't even offer an illusion of a happy family. Weiss's father was the only one who had a hint of a smile. It was strange how such a seemingly neutral expression could seem so domineering. The rest of them looked at the viewer almost asking for help. Only Whitley appeared devoid of concern, whether due to comfort or obliviousness. It was the look on Whitley's face that drew Weiss's curiousity the most.

The bedroom door opened and Ruby poked her head in. She was wearing her nightgown and brushing her teeth. Weiss offered her a smile, then attempted to return the picture to the drawer without it drawing Ruby's attention. But Ruby noticed the picture frame, recognizing immediately what it was. She looked at Weiss with concern. Weiss gave her a shrug, and pushed the drawer closed. Ruby held up a finger, and stepped back out of the room. Weiss followed her, and leaned on the bathroom door frame as Ruby rinsed her mouth.

"You were right," Weiss said, "I couldn't have known how my father would react."

"Even if you had, his actions were his own." Ruby said.

"And everything that happened because of it?"

"Five years ago, Beacon fell because three students showed up, and we trusted that they were who they said they were," Ruby said, "We can't hate ourselves for not being omniscient."

"Beacon... was rebuilt," Weiss said.

Ruby set her toothbrush in the cup next to the sink, and wiped her mouth with the towel on the rack.

"Then that's what we'll do in Atlas," Ruby said, "We'll rebuild."


	3. Chapter 3

The Beacon Air Docks were one of the greatest changes to Vale made during the rebuilding of the city. Designed to take advantage of the Academy's naturally elevated position over the city, the Docks were an extension of the Academy itself now. Beacon had covered all expenses in the construction of the new facility, and as such, now managed the vast majority of transit into and out of Vale. There were some in Vale who were critical of this new policy, accusing Beacon of attempting to gain greater political sway with the Council. Headmistress Goodwitch was famously dismissive of such claims.

Weiss and Ruby stepped out of the Air Docks' main building, and onto the massive pier. The docks jutted out of the cliff face, hanging over the city below. Airships from all over Remnant drifted through the air. A giant cargo ship from Vacuo was just pulling away from the docks. A trade ship from Mistral was unloading, crewmen shouting to each other as they tossed crates back and forth. Noticeably absent were any ships from Atlas. In the years since the opening of the new docks, no one had ever seen travel to or from the barricaded Kingdom. At least, no legal travel.

Ruby tapped Weiss's shoulder, and pointed to one end of the docks. There, moored tightly between two larger ships, was a bullhead, dull grey and rusty in a few places. Balanced on top of it was James Ironwood. He wasn't wearing a shirt and the metal that made up most of his chest gleamed in the morning sun. He was bent over, thrusting a wrench into an opened panel on top of the aircraft. Ruby and Weiss exchanged an unnerved look, and crossed the docks to meet him. As they approached, he looked up and waved.

"Miss Schnee, Miss Rose," Ironwood said, twisting the wrench, "Glad to see you."

"Good morning," Ruby said, "Didn't think the job would involve hauling garbage."

"What, the ship?" Ironwood asked, closing the panel, "It might not look like much, but I've put a lot of work into this thing."

"Sir, this ship looks like its fighting to stay in the air," Weiss said, "This is an older model, at least 10 years old, there's no armour... are those bullet holes in the back of it?"

Ironwood dumped the wrench into the tool kit beside him, picked the kit up, and slid down the front of the ship, landing gracefully on the dock.

"The ship is old, the bullet holes are new," He said, "I needed the lightest model I could get to accommodate the cloaking system. That meant stripping the armour, as well. I didn't have time to make it look pretty, but it'll get us where we're going, and more importantly, it'll get us there undetected."

Ruby looked at Weiss, shrugged and hefted her duffel bag onto her shoulder. She carefully stepped from the dock into the open side of the bullhead, her body briefly passing over a drop of several hundred meters. Weiss collapsed the extending handle of her travel bag, and lifted it up by the strap. She hopped into the aircraft after Ruby., and Ironwood followed them.

"Where are you planning to hide this thing once we get to Atlas?" Weiss asked.

Ironwood slid the door shut and locked it into place.

"Believe it or not, the rusted, broken-down look is by design," He said, "It won't look too out of place in Mantle."

"We're staying in Mantle?" Ruby asked, "Is that a good idea? I thought it was heavily policed."

"The underground has methods of evading the law," Ironwood said, "Smuggling people, paying off cops... they'll keep us hidden."

Ironwood sat down in the pilot seat, tapped a couple of buttons, then grabbed hold of the control stick. The bullhead rose up above the dock, turned, and lurched forward, heading north. Weiss and Ruby steadied themselves, and sat down in the seats near the back of the craft.

"Five hours to Atlas," Ironwood said, "This thing isn't built for speed. Get comfortable."

Weiss sat back in her seat, closing her eyes. She tried to relax, and took a few deep breaths. Her hand was gripping the arm-rest tightly. He fingernails were actually dug into the fabric. She felt the touch of Ruby's hand on hers. She opened her eyes and turned to her companion. She was smiling sweetly at Weiss; one could see in her eyes that she was searching for the right thing to say.

"I'm alright," Weiss whispered, "It would be weird if I wasn't a little nervous, right?"

"Maybe," Ruby whispered back, "Look, we're not going to be toppling the government. You're not going to see him. We do this job, we go home. It'll be simple."

"When is this job ever simple?" Weiss asked.

Ironwood glanced back at them. He set the autopilot on, stood, and began rummaging through a large bag behind the co-pilot's seat.

"If going home feels weird, its going to feel weirder," He said, "Atlas has changed a lot. The government has been enforcing their power relentlessly. They- ah... here."

Ironwood pulled out a data-pad, and walked it over to Weiss. She took it from his outstretched hand and turned it on.

It was at this point Ironwood seemed to realize he was still shirtless. He walked back to the bag, reached in, and pulled out a sweater. He sat down and began pulling it on.

"That pad has all the information I have on the Schnee Government. Sensitive information, projects, important personnel... anything I could get my hands on. Give it a look."

Weiss looked over the lists of folders and documents. There were documents on everything from troop movements to local topography. Weiss tapped a folder marked "Weapons Development." There was a long list of files on weapons programs, contracts with weapons developers, and the like. Weiss found, among other things, a picture taken of a partially-shredded letter. Who the letter was from or addressed to couldn't be seen. Weiss skimmed it for anything interesting.

"Listen to this," She said to Ruby, "'We must advance fields of research related to armour, and weapons not assisted in any way by the use of Aura. If we are to convince the people of Atlas that Huntsmen are obsolete, we must show them weapons that make them such. Propaganda should characterize these developments as the power of human ingenuity surpassing the archaic methods of antiquated warriors. Anti-Aura weapon development should continue only in secrecy. If we are publicly creating weapons specialized against Aura-users, we give them legitimacy as a threat.'"

"You'd almost think they're trying to make us look bad." Ruby said.

"They point to the actions of people like Cinder Fall or Leo Lionheart and lump all Aura-users in with them," Ironwood said, "'The dangers of individual power.'"

Weiss returned to the list of files. There was a folder with a curious name; it was just one word.

"Suspicious?" She asked.

"Deaths. Suspicious deaths." Ironwood clarified, "Engineers, scientists, political opponents. Official causes of death are usually car crashes. Some suicides."

Weiss rubbed her eyes. She skipped over that particular folder. Ruby was peering over Weiss's shoulder as she read. After some time, Weiss sighed and handed Ruby the pad.

"I'm going to try and get some rest," She said, "If I'm asleep when we reach Solitas, wake me."

"Okay," Ruby said.

She looked over the pad, then looked at Weiss.

"We're going to put a stop to all this eventually," She said, "Not this week, but someday."

"I know," Weiss said, "Someday."

She closed her eyes, listened to the soft hum of the engine, and eventually fell asleep.

* * *

Weiss crept down the dark stone tunnel, running one hand along the wall to guide herself. The only source of light she would risk was the dim glow of Myrtenaster, charged with Fire Dust. The smell in the tunnel was pungent and vile; it smelt of mold and decaying plant matter. There were puddles here and there, but no part of the floor wasn't damp. Weiss had been sneaking through the tunnel for only a few minutes, but it'd felt like much longer. Every step she took, she feared she would hear the enraged voice of her father behind her, demanding to know exactly where she thought she was going.

She came to the end of the tunnel. It smelled no less awful here, but from the other side of the slanted wooden door, a different scent could be detected. This smell was of lilacs and and white roses, and a hint of fertilizer. Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. This tunnel had lead her to where she'd expected- the edge of the gardens of the Schnee Estate. Once she emerged from the tunnel, it was a short sprint to the perimeter wall, a quick leap over it, and she'd be free. She wasn't sure yet where she'd go. Maybe to Mistral to find Winter. Ironwood had said that that was where she was. But, first things first. It was time to leave.

Weiss pushed against the door. The old wood bent outward, but held. Weiss recalled the handle on the other side, which had an old, heavy padlock hanging from it. Weiss positioned her sword carefully, pointing it just under where the handle should be. She thrust forward, and Myrtenaster pierced the wood without effort. A small screech of metal against metal could be heard, and the door popped open. Weiss returned her sword to her hip and emerged, looking about. There were no gardeners or security in sight. Weiss had half hoped her mother would be here. Her mother often wandered the garden, finding as much comfort in this place as she found in her drinking. Weiss thought it'd be nice to say goodbye to her. Alas, she was nowhere to be seen.

Weiss permitted herself one last look back at the towering mansion of white stone behind her. Then, she turned and dashed for the perimeter wall. She'd been her father's prisoner long enough. She began building up her Aura to power her jump. She wouldn't stop running; she'd take a running leap and fly clear over the barbed wire that lined the top of the wall. A movement over her head caught her eye. A hulking shape shot down from above, straight towards the ground between Weiss and the wall. Weiss cried out in surprise and skidded to a halt. The object hit the ground with enough force to blow Weiss backwards. She twisted in the air, turned the momentum into a back-flip, and landed on her feet. The Atlesian Paladin-290 that had landed before her rose to its feet, arming its weapons. Weiss drew Myrtenaster again, and gave the cylinder a spin. A second Paladin slammed down next to the first, arming its weapons in kind. Weiss's eyes widened a little, but she gritted her teeth, and adopted a fighting stance.

"Weiss!" Came a furious shout behind her.

Weiss turned, and her heart fell as she saw her father marching towards her. Whitley followed behind him, hands in his pockets, a bemused grin on his face. Weiss's eyes darted between the Paladins and the two of them. Deep down, she didn't know which she was more afraid of. She steeled herself, refusing to let them see fear.

"Weiss, my girl," Jacques said, "After everything I've done for you, I'm hurt."

"I'm leaving," Weiss said, "You can't stop me this time."

"Always so arrogant. Just like Winter," Jacques said, shaking his head, "If I am forced to use every means at my disposal to bring you into line, then so be it."

"Oh, you mean these?" Weiss asked, motioning to the Paladins, "This isn't the first time you've set a monster on me to keep me from leaving."

"These are more than just a geist, girl." Jacques warned.

"And I'm more than just a girl with a sword," Weiss shot back.

"Go for it, Weiss, I'm rooting for you!" Whitley said.

"What?" Weiss and Jacques asked in unison.

"Not really," Whitley said, "Those things are going to pound you into the dirt. I think you can make it an interesting fight, though."

Jacques rolled his eyes, and looked at Weiss.

"Last chance, Weiss," He said, "Come back inside."

Weiss looked back to the Paladins. They stood, poised for battle, weapons trained on Weiss. With her thumb, Weiss turned Myrtenaster's cylinder, pushing the next chamber into position. She pushed it again. Eventually, she settled on Ice Dust.

"Hey, Dad," Weiss asked, "Are there human pilots in those things?"

"...no," Jacques said, "They're set to AI control. They won't hold back."

"Good," Weiss said, "Then neither will I."

Weiss waved her sword to one side. A massive white summoning glyph appeared in the air. The paladins turned to the glyph, their weapons swaying back and forth, as if they were unsure what to do about it.

"You want a fight, Whitley?" Weiss asked, "Watch."

* * *

Weiss was roused from sleep suddenly by a hand shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see Ruby standing over her, smiling. Weiss sensed she'd been sleeping a few hours.

"Are we almost in Solitas?" Weiss asked.

"We've been flying over it for about 15 minutes," Ironwood reported, "Coming up on the Atlas border soon. We'll have to activate the cloak."

"Hmmm," Weiss groaned, shaking away sleep, "I said to wake me."

"You're cute when you're sleeping," Ruby said, "I didn't want to."

Weiss smiled at her, stood and walked to the front of the bullhead. She sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Ruby stood behind it, looking over Weiss's shoulder out the front of the aircraft.

"Activating cloak now," Ironwood said, flicking a few switches, "Hit that green button, there."

Weiss hit a small green button that seemed to have been recently wired into the control panel. A bizarre sensation passed over the three of them, and the view out the front of the ship warped momentarily.

"Alright," Ironwood said, "We should be invisible to any sensors. We'll fly right over the border defences."

"Something occurred to me, Ironwood," Weiss said, "Has Winter been working with you?"

Ironwood seemed momentarily caught off-guard by the question.

"We've done a few recon missions," Ironwood said, "Why do you ask?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Weiss asked, "I thought it odd you haven't mentioned her."

"Well, I didn't think there'd be any reason to- well, she's-"

"James." Weiss said, firmly, silencing Ironwood, "Where is Winter? You wouldn't have simply not mentioned her. What are you not telling me?"

"Weiss, you have to understand-"

"If this is a stealth op, why are there bullet holes in the back of this bullhead? What happened, what went wrong, and where is Winter?" Weiss demanded, "Did something happen?"

"...yes." Ironwood said.

"Is she alive?"

"Yes!" Ironwood said, much more quickly, "Yes, as far as I know. She was captured."

Ruby put a hand to her mouth. Weiss slammed her hands down on the control panel.

"And you didn't think we needed to know that?!" Weiss shouted, "Damn it, Ironwood! Damn it! I thought you'd changed, I thought you were less of a complete bastard, and now you-"

"Winter knew the risks!" Ironwood said, "She came to me! It was her idea that she'd be the one to go in, because if she got caught, she could rely on good, old fashioned nepotism to keep her alive. Her words, not mine."

"When?!" Weiss asked.

"Less than three days ago," Ironwood said, "The intel I brought you, she got us that. Her escape got cut off, she told me to go because she knew how important-"

"Wait, wait, wait," Weiss said, "Were you never planning to tell me this?!"

"Uh, guys..." Ruby said, quietly.

"Of course I was going to tell you! After we completed the job. I was going to come clean, and we'd rescue Winter! I was afraid if you knew, you'd insist we rescue her first, and that would compromise our ability to stop Harbinger!"

"Guys, there's a-" Ruby tried to get out.

"You're unbelievable!" Weiss shouted, "But you know what? You weren't wrong! We're going to find Winter, and then we'll worry about this little science project that-"

"Guys, it says 'inbound projectile'!" Ruby yelled.

Ironwood's eyes shot down to the HUD on the control panel. He saw the radar blip of a missile rocketing towards the bullhead.

"Oh, shit!" He shouted.

He wrenched the control stick as hard as he could. Weiss was almost thrown from her seat; she barely held herself in place with the armrest. Ruby was thrown to the side and slammed into the side of the hull. She cried out in pain. Out the front view screen, a missile shot past, seemingly missing them by centimeters. It began to bank, circling around to re-engage them.

"I thought we were cloaked!" Weiss said.

"We are!" Ironwood said, "They can't have- oh crap!"

The missile streaked back towards them, head-on. Ironwood punched the button to pop flares, and pulled up. The missile shot beneath them. Ironwood levelled out the aircraft. Weiss could see the city of Atlas beneath them. They were approaching the massive wall encircling the city. It had far more turrets and missile batteries on it then when she'd been here last. And these ones seemed to be meant to take down approaching aircraft, not Grimm.

"I think the bullet holes in the hull are compromising the stealth field!" Ironwood said, "We're not going to be able to evade pursuit!"

Ruby pulled on the manual override to open the left side-door. She pulled out Crescent Rose, unfurling it into rifle-form. Cold wind blasted through the cabin, blowing everybody's hair about wildly.

"Ruby, what the Hell?!" Weiss shouted.

Ruby took aim out the door.

"I need a better angle on the missile," She said, "Turn left, please."

Ironwood turned left. The bullhead lost a bit of speed, and the missile streaked towards it. But Ruby now had a perfect shot out the door. She fired, striking the missile dead on the tip. It exploded a couple hundred meters behind them. Ruby turned to Weiss and Ironwood, grinning with pride. At that moment, the bullhead came into range of the perimeter guns. They all opened fire at once. Ruby dove back from the door as anti-aircraft rounds whizzed past her. The bullhead rocked wildly as it was bombarded by weapons fire.

"No, no!" Ironwood shouted, "We can't take much of this!"

"What do we do?!" Weiss asked.

"We bail!" Ruby shouted, "Hope you still have a good landing strategy, Jimmy!"

"At this speed?!" Ironwood yelled, "Are you insane?!"

The right engine exploded. The bullhead began rocking completely out of control, rapidly plummeting towards the city.

"You're welcome to stay behind!" Ruby yelled back.

Ironwood abandoned the pilot seat, and ran back to the door. He looked down at the cityscape whipping past beneath them.

"We'll be spread out!" Ironwood said, "Meet in Mantle! 527 Mangrove Street!"

"Got it!" Ruby said, "Great to finally visit your hometown, Weiss!"

She dove out of the door, plummeting out of sight. Ironwood and Weiss looked at each other, then Ironwood jumped. Weiss was about to follow him, when a thought occurred to her. She turned and looked at the seats in the back. The data-pad Ironwood had handed her was still there, rattling about in its seat as the aircraft shook. She ran to it, snatched it up, then dashed out the door. She was out of the aircraft less than a second before it exploded above her. The blast threw her off kilter for a moment, sending her tumbling. She steadied herself, put the ground beneath her, and shot down towards the city below.


	4. Chapter 4

Ruby plummeted downwards, twisting and weaving to dodge stray anti-aircraft rounds. Usually at this height, she'd be scanning the terrain to decide where to direct her fall. But she wasn't just falling, she was moving hundreds of kilometers per hour laterally. She used a few bursts of Speed in the opposite direction, bringing any impending impact down from Unsurvivable to Really Painful. She steadied herself and looked down at the intersection where the laws of physics deemed she would be landing. She realized she was still going too fast. A split second before impact, her body became rose petals. The cloud of petals hit the ground, dispersing against the pavement. They fluidly swirled back together and reformed into Ruby Rose. She stood straight and shook herself off. She'd figured out that trick a few years back.

A car horn blared to Ruby's left, and the vehicle approaching Ruby screeched as the driver slammed the brakes. Ruby jumped to one side, just as the car barreled through where she'd been standing. Numerous other vehicles screeched to a halt around the intersection. Ruby became the target of a surprising amount of colourful language and hand gestures.

"Sorry, sorry!" Ruby said, running towards the sidewalk, "I'm sorry, real sorry, everybody!"

Ruby reached the sidewalk, and traffic resumed. There was a gathering of pedestrians on the corner. Most were still looking up in the sky, at the smoke where a bullhead had been seconds before. A few were looking at her, stunned by her landing trick.

"How did she do-?"

"Was that a Semblance?

"An aura-user?"

Ruby gave an awkward wave, then hurried off down the street. People were still turning and staring as she attempted to distance herself from the scene. At times like these, Ruby wished she still wore that old hood. She ducked into an alley, slipped out onto a different street, then dropped down to a more regular pace when she could no longer feel eyes on her. She breathed a sigh of relief, before her mind began to wander to Weiss and Ironwood. They were both experienced; there was no reason they would have any less success landing. Still, Ruby couldn't help feel concerned. Even if they landed without incident, the three of them were now in hostile territory; and their arrival had been far less discrete than they'd intended.

No longer in a hurry, Ruby had a chance to take in the city around her. She'd never been to Atlas before- the city had closed its borders a few months after the fall of Beacon and never reopened them. The buildings were taller than those of Vale, and had a colour palette of cold greys and pale blues, like ice. Why the Atlesians chose to make their city as cold and bleak as the frozen wasteland around them, Ruby could not understand in the slightest. Still, there was a majesty to the architecture and the sheer scale of the cityscape. The ground level roadway was not the only avenue of transit. There were multiple layers of designated airspace above the roads, and these bustled with small airships. It'd been luck that Ruby had fallen through a relatively empty area of this swarm of flying vehicles moving in every direction.

Hanging from almost every building were massive banners bearing the Schnee family emblem. Massive holo-screens were projected on the fronts of the larger buildings, displaying various media. Men in suits delivering speeches, reporters gathered around a table discussing something or another, videos of military convoys, and the like. Ruby stopped to look at the screen showing the round table discussion. She could just make out the sound over the din and hum of the city.

"-can't deny they played a role in Salem's defeat, is all I'm saying," Said one of the women at the table.

"Well, that's where you're wrong, Sarah," Said one of the men. He was a blustery, overweight fellow, who looked to be perpetually angry, based on the veins on his temples, "I can deny it. There's simply no evidence that that the role the Huntsmen played was not dramatically overstated."

Ruby pursed her lips. Her mind wandered to images of a fortress burning.

"Multiple sources say that it was, in fact, a team of Huntresses who-" Sarah tried to say.

"Multiple- Sarah, multiple sources say _magic_ played a role in Salem's defeat." The angry fellow retorted, "The only source that matters is Schnee, and he confirms that Salem's empire was toppled by military strength, with Atlas at the lead."

"There were more Aura-users fighting for Salem than against her," Another woman piped up, "If anything, these so-called Defenders of Humanity were an obstacle to defeating Salem."

Murmurs of agreement went about the table. Ruby shook her head, looked away from the screen, and continued on her path. She had to get to the address Ironwood had given them. Her eyes scanned the street, looking for a cab. She caught sight of a bus moving down the opposite side of the street. She looked further down the road to where the bus was heading, and saw a sign marking where it would stop. She actually inhaled in preparation to start Speeding over to it to beat the bus, but stopped herself. In most places, using a Semblance in public would get a few looks of surprise. Hear, it could get you in a lot of trouble. Ruby instead took off running on foot, slipped across a crosswalk, and just barely caught up to the bus at the stop. Breathing heavily, she stood outside the open bus door, one hand on the frame.

"Thanks for waiting," She breathed, "Can you tell me the quickest route into Mantle?"

This, surprisingly, earned her some unpleasant looks from the passengers on the bus.

"Um, I'm sorry, ma'am," The driver said, "There aren't any buses that go into Mantle."

"Why not?" Ruby asked.

"Too much trouble getting through the security checkpoints," The driver said.

 _Checkpoint,_ Ruby thought, _Crap._

"Best you're gonna get, my route will take you to the Northwest Security Gate," The driver said.

Ruby nodded, got on the bus, and handed the driver a small lien card. She took an empty seat as the bus pulled away from the stop. She stared out the window as the bus moved, watching the massive holo-screens displaying propaganda. She suddenly became aware of somebody standing next to her seat. She turned and saw a middle-aged woman staring down at her. Her eyes were baggy and her lips were curled in disapproval. A child no more than seven was hiding behind her leg, fingers clutching her mother's jeans as she peaked at Ruby.

"Uh, hello," Ruby said.

"Girl like you shouldn't go to Mantle," The woman said.

"I-"

"They're Uncivilized, there," The woman said, "Criminals and thieves. You'll be robbed, or have your throat cut."

"I can take care of myself," Ruby said, "But... thank you..."

"Mama says there are- are Aura people there," The little girl said, "Hunters kill people for fun, there. Mama says the TV lies that they aren't there."

"You hush!" The mother instructed, "I said no such thing. And you- what makes you think you can take care of yourself if you're going to Mantle? What are you doing, telling my daughter it's safe there? With all those Uncivilized and druggies and Faunus?!"

Ruby desperately wracked her brain for something to say to make this conversation stop. It occurred to her at that moment that she didn't know how far away the Northwest Security Gate was.

* * *

Ironwood shot through the air, trying to stay steady. The ground below was coming up to him fast, and he had no method of slowing himself down. He gritted his teeth, and tried to keep a coll head. He looked forward to see where he was headed, and saw the apartment building he was flying straight towards. He let out a yell of surprise, and turned in midair, so that his metal shoulder would be the first part of him to impact. He channelled as much energy as he could into his Aura, and tensed up. This was going to hurt.

He slammed into the wall, pain exploding across his body. The deceleration rippled through him, shaking up his organs and making his head spin. The concrete wall exploded around him, sending him crashing into the building amidst a haze of smoke and chunks of stone. He made an effort to roll into a landing, but the hit had taken too much of his Aura off, and he tumbled like a ragdoll. He came to a rest in the middle of the living room of the apartment he'd crashed into. He lay on the floor, wheezing. His Aura was barely still active. He could feel strain where his cybernetic components fused to his flesh. He groaned and struggled up to a sitting position. He looked to the hole in the wall. The concrete looked almost a foot thick. Right next to the gaping hole, which still had bits of concrete crumbling from it, was a large picture window of thin plate glass.

"Yeah, probably should have went for that," Ironwood sighed, "I am getting way too old for this."

He stood, and stretched, and checked himself over for injuries. His sweater was in tatters, but other than that, he was fine. He took hold of one ripped edge and tore off what remained of the sweater. As he tossed it aside, he saw for the first time that he wasn't alone in the apartment. A maid was standing in the kitchen, holding a dish in one hand and a hand towel in the other. She stared at him, dumbfounded, her eyes wide.. The end of the cat's tail hanging out the back of her skirt was curled in fear.

"Afternoon, ma'am," Ironwood said, giving her a small wave.

"You're... you're General Iron-" She whispered.

"Just Ironwood, actually," He said.

"You should leave," She said, a little louder, "Before they get here looking for you. I'll tell them I didn't see anything."

"Thank you." Ironwood said.

He turned and walked to the door of the apartment. He opened it a crack, then looked down at his bare chest. He eyed a black leather longcoat hanging from the coat-rack next to the door. He grabbed it, pulled it on, and stepped out. He hurried down the hall, towards the staircase. As he stepped through the door onto the stairwell, he saw sign informing him he was on the fifth floor. He ran down the first two flights of steps. As he reached the fourth floor, he heard shouting from below.

"Cover the exits to the other staircases! Make sure he doesn't have a way out of the building! We'll head up and attempt to apprehend him!"

"Sir, did you see him hit the wall? If he's alive he's not going to be in fighting shape."

"Do you know who we're after? Be ready for a fight!"

Ironwood hurried further down the stairs, making an effort to move quietly. He came to the third floor landing and slipped through the door. He hid to one side of the door, and listened as the soldiers rushed past, up the stairs. It'd be as simple as jumping out a window into an alley and slipping away unseen.

"If he's still in there, he's going to be laying in wait!" Ironwood overheard the squad leader say, "Don't hesitate. We bust open the door and shoot anybody inside."

Ironwood groaned, and rushed back through the door. He charged up the stairs after the soldiers. He counted five when he caught up to them, weapons at the ready. They were still heading up the stairs, not expecting an attack from behind. Ironwood reached out and grabbed the ankle of the soldier at the back. He pulled, yanking the soldier off his feet, his face slamming into the edge of one of the steps. His cry of surprise and pain caused the others to turn around in a panic. Ironwood jumped onto the railing of the staircase, leapt up to the staircase across from it, and vaulted over the railing, landing in front of the squad leader. He kicked him in the chest, sending him flying backwards and slamming into the wall.

The other soldiers opened fire, and Ironwood ducked out of the way of the hail of bullets. There was enough space in between the flights of stairs to drop down to the ground floor. Ironwood jumped, clearing the railing, and tightened himself up to drop through. One of the soldiers levelled a shotgun at him. Ironwood kicked one foot out, smacking the barrel to the side just before the shot blasted out. He reached out, and grabbed the top of the soldier's helmet as he dropped. His momentum pulled the soldier forward and slammed his face into the railing. Ironwood let go and dropped down, the flights of stairs whipping past as he fell to the ground floor.

Looking beneath him, he saw that there were two more soldiers covering the stairs, shotguns aimed upwards. Rather than landing in the middle of the stairwell, Ironwood grabbed the edge of the first floor staircase, swinging forwards towards the door. His feet met the chest of one soldier, and launched him backward into his squad mate. Ironwood landed, and stepped over the first soldier, who was laying in the doorway, gasping and writhing. The second guy was trying to get up. Ironwood gave a powerful punch to his head, and his head hit the wall. He fell back down and stayed down. Ironwood scanned the lobby of the apartment building, glimpsed more soldiers through the large front windows, and snuck away, towards the back of the building. He found a fire escape, and pushed his way through it, setting off fire alarms inside the building. The escape exited into an alleyway. The soldiers hadn't covered this exit yet. Ironwood sprinted away, hearing the sounds of sirens converging on the building. He ran for several minutes, slipping down alleys and side-streets, until he was confidant he'd eluded them. He stopped for a moment, and took a few gasping breaths.

"I really... really need to get better at this whole stealth thing." He said to himself.

* * *

Weiss flew gracefully through the air, arms spread out, gliding over the city. As she started to lose altitude, she somersaulted, placed a Glyph beneath herself, and spring-boarded off of it. Weiss had perfected using Glyphs to manoeuvre in the air over the years. She was as comfortable flying hundreds of meters above the city as she was on the ground. From up here, she could scan the cityscape in front of her, and find the best possible spot to land. She eventually decided on an alleyway between two buildings up ahead, and to the right. There wasn't a lot of traffic on the connecting streets. She placed a glyph at an angle, ricocheting herself towards the side of the building to her left. Extending Myrtenaster ahead, she layered the wall with a slick sheet of ice. She hit the wall at an angle and slid along the ice. As she reached the edge of the building, she placed an acceleration Glyph in front of herself, then pushed off the wall. She shot through the Glyph and took off across the sky like a bullet.

She reached the alley, flying cleanly between the two buildings. She placed one more Glyph, this one to decelerate herself, and fell through it before hitting the ground. The concrete was cracked just a little from the impact. Weiss stood up straight, and put her sword away in her overcoat, where it couldn't be seen. Weiss pulled the hood of the coat over her head, pulling it down low around her face. Then, she walked out of the alley, doing her best to look casual.

Weiss looked around the city, able to take it in fully now that she was on the ground. The banners everywhere bearing her family emblem were something of an uncomfortable sight. The automated machine gun turrets mounted on the sides of most buildings weren't much better. This place was far different from the metropolis of light and life that Weiss had grown up in. Weiss's life at home may have been a bit... unhealthy, but she'd always had a love for the culture of Atlas. It wasn't quite as cheerful and colourful as Mistral or Vacuo, but it possessed its own subtle beauty and class. There was none of that here, only an oppressive coldness; a dominating authority, threatening those who would oppose it from atop an ivory tower. To see her family's legacy be the face of this oppression filled Weiss with a cold fury.

Weiss strode down the street, heading in the direction of Mantle. Her knowledge of the city's streets was still perfect. Her mind wandered as her feet did the navigating. The last few words exchanged in the bullhead had given her a lot to process. Winter had been captured. Somewhere in this city, she was being held prisoner. She could be in some military prison, or a specialized facility, or worse. According to Ironwood, she'd relied on nepotism to keep her safe. Weiss couldn't say for sure whether the Schnee name would make things better or worse for her. What she was sure about was that rescuing Winter would be her first priority. Any attempts to stop Harbinger would come later. After Ironwood's bullhead had failed to conceal their entrance into the city, it wasn't like 100% discretion was on option anymore.

Ironwood. Weiss's mind zeroed in on what he'd said. What he'd done. He'd gotten Winter captured, and then immediately hired Weiss in her place without telling her. What in the Hell did he think he was doing? There was no way Harbinger could be so important that it would justify that deceit. Lying to Weiss, using her like that for his own ends, he was barely any better than her father.

Weiss stopped walking suddenly, and took a deep breath. She ran and hand through her hair. She saw a white marble bench nearby, and sat down on it. Thinking about him still shook her every now and then. She thought of the garden, and the way her father had looked at her as she tore his machines apart. And next to him had been Whitley, staring in dumbfounded awe.

A short tune of music filled the air, an assembly of trumpets and drums. Weiss looked up to the source of the sound: a massive television screen mounted on the side of the building across the street. The screen was displaying the spinning logo of the Atlas News Network. The logo faded away to show a balding, slightly wrinkled man in a suit. He sat in an armchair, holding a cup of tea. He had a wide, unsettlingly empty grin. Weiss stared at the screen in confusion.

"Good afternoon, citizens of Atlas," The man said, "This is your friend, Gregory Halfort, speaker for the Ministry of Truth and Morality."

"Wow, that's subtle," Weiss said, "Who came up with that name?"

"My friends, there is no greater display of selfishness than the Huntsman," Halfort said, "The image cultivated by those cultures who idolize these men and women is one of a selfless warrior, who thinks of nothing else than to protect others. And yet, we know this to be untrue. These so-called heroes obsess not over the safety of others, but over their fashion, the uniqueness of their gaudy weapons, and their self-aggrandized self-image."

Weiss looked down, and rubbed her eyes. She hoped that, wherever Ruby was, she wasn't seeing this.

"What, I ask you, is the purpose of their grandiose outfits if not to draw attention to themselves? If they fight only to protect, why do they not dress themselves in whatever gear is most tactically suited to this purpose, as those in Atlas's mighty army do? Why do they insist on weapons and fighting styles so flashy and impractical, if their motives are not to simply show off?

My friends, the Huntsman and the Huntress, like all self-important Aura-users and Uncivilized, have only one goal: to bring glory and praise to themselves. Even when they seem to fight for others, this is their goal. The act of protecting others is simply a means of inflating their already bloated egos. The people they save are merely an audience for their showmanship. Think on these words, good people of Atlas. This is Gregory Halfort, signing off."

Weiss sighed, and stood up from the bench. She set off walking again, the words of the pundit echoing in her mind. Behind her, the screen had started playing an advertisement for some Schnee product or another.

Weiss wondered, not for the first time, what she'd hoped to accomplish by coming here. It wasn't the first time in history a government had outlawed Huntsmen and Huntresses. The vague guidelines of ethics that Huntsmen were expected to abide by suggested these laws should be respected. The abrupt announcement by the new Schnee Government that all Huntsman activity in Atlas was now strictly illegal was no different in this regard. But even when the world accepted the decision, most were suspicious of it. When a king or an emperor or some other form of dictator banned Huntsmen, it was a pretty safe bet he'd end up doing something the Huntsmen would be trying to stop. But was it really right for Weiss and Ruby to drop into the city, sowing chaos where they weren't wanted, on nothing but Ironwood's word that Harbinger was as bad as he said it was? Or was Weiss's hesitance just her own fear and guilt, making her jump at any excuse to call this mission a bad idea?

Weiss was so absorbed in thought, that she'd walked right up to the gate that separated Mantle from the rest of Atlas with barely a glance. To her surprise, she discovered that what had once been little more than a toll booth was now a fully staffed, fortified security checkpoint. There was a small building, labelled "Processing" to one side of a heavy iron gate. Brick walls topped with barbed wire stretched out in either direction from the gate. There was a guard leaning against the building, machine gun slung over his shoulder, watching Weiss. More soldiers were nearby, idly chatting. Weiss realized she wouldn't be able to talk her way through the checkpoint without revealing her identity. It would be simpler to jump the fence somewhere were nobody would see her. She turned and started to walk away.

The soldier with the machine gun tapped the shoulder of one of the other men, and pointed to Weiss. The soldier readied his rifle and stepped forward.

"Ma'am, halt!" The soldier ordered.

Weiss froze. _Crap,_ she thought, _this isn't good._

The soldier hurried over and stood in her path. The guy with the machine gun, who was clearly in charge, strode over casually.

"Ma'am, I can't help but notice you took one look at me and turned tail to run," The man said, "May I ask why?"

"I'm sorry, sir," Weiss stammered, trying to act intimidated, "I forgot my scroll at home. I was just going to-"

"Your scroll?" He asked, "Ma'am, this checkpoint uses paper ID, just like everywhere else in Atlas. Scrolls are too easily hacked. Surely you know that?"

"Yes, my papers and my scroll," Weiss said, "That's what I said."

"Come with me, ma'am," The soldier said.

He escorted Weiss to the processing building. Weiss stepped inside, and the soldier leaned in on the door frame, one hand gripping his gun. Inside the building was a desk with a clerk behind it, separated from Weiss by a sheet of bulletproof glass. A security camera in the corner locked onto Weiss and followed her about the small room.

"Papers?" The clerk asked, not looking up.

"I already told the man there that I don't have them," Weiss said.

"Ma'am, it's illegal to travel without proper identification," The clerk said, reaching for a phone.

"I- I forgot them, it was a minor mistake-"

"Ma'am, is there anybody we can contact to bring your identification while we detain you here?" The clerk asked.

Weiss was still acting scared, which is surprisingly hard to do when you're pissed off.

"There's really no reason to-" She began, weighing options in her head.

"Ma'am, I am doing my job," The clerk said, still not making eye contact, "This checkpoint protects the people of Atlas from the criminals and Uncivilized of Mantle. If you comply, and somebody can produce your identification, this'll be nothing more than a note on your permanent record. You resist, and things get much worse for you, and I get a bunch of paperwork to do. Okay? And I'm gonna need you to drop that hood for the camera, too."

Weiss smirked.

"Fine," She said, reaching up with both hands and pulling her hood back.

The clerk glanced up, and his eyes went wide. She heard a small gasp of shock from the soldier behind her.

"Do you still need my identification?" Weiss asked.

"M- ma'am- I mean- Miss Schnee!" The clerk said, awkwardly returning the phone to its receiver, "I had no idea that-"

"Clearly, you didn't." Weiss said, making a show of looking annoyed.

"Miss Schnee, I didn't know you were in the city," The man desperately babbled, "Why are you travelling alone?"

"I don't believe that is any of your business, _sir_ ," Weiss replied, pouring as much sarcasm into the 'sir' as she could, "But if my business is to be so pried into, I am in the city attending to a small family matter. I was attempting to travel discretely, to avoid... unwanted attention."

The soldier behind Weiss stepped forward, looking quite a bit shorter than before.

"Ma'am, I sincerely apologize," He said, "But I would not be doing my duty if I let you walk into Mantle alone. Its not safe, especially for a Schnee."

"I'm sure my hometown has not already forgotten that Weiss Schnee is a Huntress?" Weiss asked, "Your presumptuous interference is not necessary. But, if you'd like to press the matter, I can always call my-"

"No, no, no, no," The soldier said, "It isn't necessary at all. Please, you can go."

"Thank you," Weiss said, looking at the clerk, expectantly.

The clerk hit a button on the console in front of him. There was a buzz, and the door on the opposite side of the room, the door to Mantle, clicked open. Weiss turned and, strode towards the door. As she reached the exit, she looked up, and gave a cold glare to the security camera. Then, she was through the door and in Mantle. She was half tempted to look back to see the look on the soldiers' faces, but that would be breaking character. She hurried away from the checkpoint, mulling over what she'd just done.

 _Well,_ She thought, _Shit._


	5. Chapter 5

Mantle had changed quite a bit in the years since Weiss left. As the Heiress of the richest family in Atlas, Weiss hadn't seen Mantle very often, but even she could see the stark contrast. What had once been a middle-class area of the city- a region that got by in the shadow of the wealthy elites- was now a dilapidated slum. It seemed every building was in some state of disrepair. The shells of small businesses lay abandoned, their carcasses scrawled with graffiti. Sidewalks were scattered with broken pieces of furniture, and wrecks of cars set up on blocks. The people who could be seen on the streets matched their surroundings. There were homeless people gathered around burning trash cans, trying to stave off the bitter cold. Everybody wore some manner of hood, or hat pulled down low, keeping their heads down to avoid attention. Gangsters hung out on corners, waiting for customers for all manner of illegal trade.

One thing that stood out from the grime and degradation was the Atlas Police Force. They patrolled the streets in shiny white armour, heavily armed, keeping a close eye on the civilians. Despite how degraded everything was, the law could be felt here, far more than in the rest of the city. A polished silver axe held high over the heads of the poor, waiting to be dropped at the first sign of resistance.

Weiss moved hurriedly from street to street, avoiding attention from the police. She opened up a map on her scroll and found the quickest route to the address Ironwood had given them. She didn't know if Ruby or Ironwood would be there when she got there. She just had to hope that, wherever she was headed, they would be more welcoming to a Schnee than she had any right to expect.

She turned onto Mangrove street, a winding path lined with broken down houses. She was only a few lots away from number 527. As she hurried down the sidewalk, staring at the ground, she heard a loud, mechanical rumble. Glancing up, she saw a heavily armoured spider-mech, marching down the middle of the street. It turned its head back and forth, aiming its weapons at each house. There was a small group of civilians gathered on the sidewalk nearby, mostly Faunus, across the street from Weiss. The spider-mech turned and trained its main gun on them. The breath caught in Weiss's throat for a moment. With barely a glance towards the machine, the civilians pulled their hands from their pockets and raised them above their heads. The mech kept its weapon levelled at them as it lumbered past. It passed by Weiss and, after moving a small distance away from the group, resumed its pattern of sweeping each house. The civilians lowered their hands, continuing the conversation they'd been having without pause. Weiss shook her head in disbelief.

She came up on 527 Mangrove street. It was a building much larger than most others on the block. An old apartment building, or poorhouse. It didn't look in any better shape than the houses around it, but there were a few people relaxing on the porch, drinking and laughing, and music could be heard from within. Weiss wondered why Ironwood had sent them here. She headed up the walk to the porch, went up the steps and up to the front door. The people on the porch waved hello to her, and seemed welcoming enough, but Weiss noticed a few hands inching closer to the inside of their jackets. One guy sitting at the porch table slid his hands beneath the table top. Weiss held out her hands to show they were empty.

"Good afternoon," She said, "I'm... here looking for Ironwood?"

The guy at the table motioned his head towards the door. His hands didn't move from whatever weapon he was gripping.

Weiss knocked on the door. It was made of solid wood, and reinforced with metal. There was a small viewing window at eye level, with a cover. At Weiss's knock, the covering slid back, and the man inside looked out at her.

"Hi," She said, "I was told to come here by James Iron-"

Weiss froze mid-sentence in surprise. The man looking back at her was dark-skinned, wore a grey trilby, and his eyes were obscured by dark sunglasses. At the sight of her, he smiled.

"Well, well," He said, opening the door, "If it isn't the heiress."

Weiss stepped in and shook his outstretched hand.

"I haven't been the heiress for five years," She said, "Good to see you, Flynt."

Flynt Coal hadn't changed much over the years. His hair was longer, and he sported a soul patch on his chin, but other than that he looked the same as he did when they'd met in the Vytal Festival Tournament. He closed the door behind Weiss, and ushered her further into the house. It didn't seem much different than any other house throwing a party, but if one spied through the open doors of the hallway leading to the living room, one could see racks of weapons, and piles of radio equipment.

"Ironwood said he was in contact with the resistance," Weiss said, "This is one of your safehouses?"

"One?" Asked Flynt, "This is _the_ safehouse. You're looking at the resistance in all its glory. A bunch of former Huntsmen and political refugees, hiding out, not knowing where or how to strike back. Ironwood is the only one actively fighting. We mostly run the black market, or smuggle people where they need to go. We hide people that the Schnee Government is hunting, but that's all we're able to do right now. I run our pirate radio station, a voice speaking out against the propaganda and hate. That's about all we can do."

They entered the living room. It was crowded with people, socializing, dancing, eating. There was a table in the corner loaded with pots of stew, and pans of casserole, being dished out to a line of people. In one corner, Weiss saw Ruby, seated on the sofa, talking to a woman who held a baby in her arms. Ruby saw Weiss, waved, and held up a finger. She finished what she was saying to the woman and stood, hurrying over to meet Weiss and Flynt. She wrapped Weiss in a quick hug.

"I'm glad you made it here safe!" Ruby said, "Flynt has been doing so much good in Mantle! It's amazing! He's been keeping people hidden, he uses the black market to get people medicine, he's basically running the whole resistance movement right under the police's nose!"

"It's incredible," Weiss agreed, "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

She looked about the room. She noticed the mother who Ruby had been talking to was looking at her oddly.

"I took the bus... that was a thing," She said, "Tell you about that later."

"Did you have any trouble at the security checkpoints?" Weiss asked.

"No, I just hopped the fence when nobody was looking," Ruby asked, "Why would I try to go through a security checkpoint?"

"...is Ironwood here?" Weiss asked.

Ruby shook her head, "Thought he might be with you."

"I just got in touch with him, actually," Flynt said, "Over the radio. He's in Mantle, but he's heading across town to pick up his contact, then heading here."

"Who is his contact?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Flynt admitted, "He's connected to the underground, but he's not part of the resistance. Ironwood's been working with him to get intel- stuff we can't get for him. But I don't know who it is."

"Alright," Weiss said, "When he gets here, we'll need to talk in private about-"

"Are you Weiss Schnee?" Came the voice of the young mother still seated on the sofa.

The eyes of everybody in the room were suddenly on Weiss. She could see recognition on everybody's face. Her stomach dropped. This wasn't the first time the unsavoury reputation of the Schnee name had preceded her. But this was different. These people hadn't been hurt economically by a heartless business. They were living under a yoke of oppression that bore Weiss's family name. Weiss sighed, and, unable to make eye contact with anyone, replied.

"Yes," She said, "I'm Weiss Schnee."

Everybody stood, staring in awe. Some children playing in one corner of the room whispered to each other. A man stood up out of his chair and walked over to her. Weiss tensed up, and Ruby looked at the man suspiciously.

"You're part of Team RWBY?" He asked.

"The team that lead the assault on Salem's fortress!" Somebody else said.

"She saved all of Mistral from Lionheart."

"One of the greatest Huntresses in the world..."

"She was the one who took down the-"

"She's here to save us!"

Weiss held up her hands to stop everyone.

"I'm here to..." Weiss began, "I'm here to help my sister. I came for my sister, and for a job. I... I don't..."

Flynt slipped fluidly in between Weiss and the gathering crowd. He pointed a thumb at Ruby.

"That's Ruby Rose," He said.

Immediately the attention of the crowd was drawn to Ruby. She had just a moment to look surprised before she was bombarded with questions. Flynt took Weiss's hand and pulled her back towards the hall. They stepped into the room full of radio equipment. Weiss took a moment to look at Flynt in confusion.

"They... they want me to help them." Weiss said.

"Of course," Flynt said, "These people have been waiting for help."

"They should hate me," Weiss said, "After everything my-"

"Weiss, you remember our fight, don't you?" Flynt said, "I looked at you and saw your family's company. Your father. It was wrong of me. But you showed me you were more than that. More than the name Schnee. You were a Huntress, who fought with valour, and put her teammates before herself. The government tries to suppress stories of what Huntsmen and Huntresses do, but we do what we can to keep those stories alive. And of all the stories we hear, none are more incredible than the stories about Team RWBY. Including Weiss Schnee, the former heiress who fights to restore her family's legacy all over the world. Nobody in there sees their oppressor in you."

Weiss took a moment to respond. She was surprised to find her breath catching in her throat.

"They think..." She whispered, "They think I'm here to tear down the government over a... a family tiff."

"They have hope," Flynt said, "Times like these breed hope. When someone comes along who they can have hope in, they latch on to them."

"So I either lead a revolution, or I let them down?"

"Ironwood likes to play spies," Flynt said, "Loves that cloak and dagger crap. He wanted you to do this job in secret? Don't. Let what you do here be whispered across Atlas. Hell, I'll sing your praises on pirate radio. You don't need to lead the fight, just show that Schnee can be stood up to. You'll inspire people to fight for themselves."

Weiss mulled it over. Openly doing illegal Huntress work could have serious consequences, even outside of Atlas. But she couldn't see all of this and not do something about it. Perhaps this was the answer.

"You really think I'll inspire people?" She asked.

"Of course," Flynt said, walking towards the door, "People like us... we can inspire people to do all kinds of things."

* * *

Winter was seated on a bench against the wall in her small cell. The room had stark white walls, with matching bed, bunk, and toilet. To her left, the wall was made of reinforced glass. There were five armed guards in the room just beyond the cell, keeping a watchful eye on her. From the ceiling outside the cell hung two security cameras and two machine gun turrets, all trained on the glass barricade. Winter had been in this enclosure for almost two days. She hadn't spent the time waiting patiently for rescue. She was analyzing every inch of her surroundings. She knew how much force it would take to break the glass, she had already estimated the calibre and fire rate of the guns, she knew how to take down each guard. She wasn't ready for escape yet. She'd woken up in this cell, she didn't even know what building she was in or the layout. She would have to gather more information. She had been expecting a reunion with her captor, but he was taking an annoyingly long time.

One of the guards was seated at a desk, staring at a computer screen. He touched his finger to his earpiece, and nodded.

"Room is secure." He said.

The door into the room opened. Winter looked out through the glass and saw the black-clad Colonel who'd knocked her out stride into the room.

"I'll be the judge of that," He said.

His eyes scanned the guards, their weapons, the cameras, and the turrets. Each guard seemed to tense up as he stared at them. He rubbed his chin, looking at them with a hint of dissatisfaction. Eventually, he turned his attention to the glass barricade. He pushed his fingertips against it, and ran his eyes along the seal at the edges.

"Is he afraid of me?" Winter jested.

"He values security, and stability," The Colonel said, "As do I."

"You don't look like his usual thugs," Winter said, "Who are you?"

The Colonel stepped back from the glass, and put his finger to his ear.

"We're clear." He said.

He walked back towards the door, and stood next to it, standing up straight with his hands behind his back. All the guards in the room stood a little straighter as well. The guy at the desk quickly got to his feet, straightening his shirt.

"Ten hut!" He barked, "Everybody please stand at attention for President-General Whitley Schnee!"

Two more armed guards stepped through the door first. Then, Whitley Schnee appeared in the doorway. He was adorned in a flashy military garb. A long white overcoat, with gold epaulettes, a half-cape, and a dozen medals on his chest. He seemed at least a couple inches taller, due to the military boots he was wearing. His face didn't look much different, except for a very thin beard and moustache- like a teenager's first attempt at growing facial hair. He was sporting an incredibly cocky grin. He looked through the glass at Winter, holding out his hands in mock excitement.

"Good afternoon, sister," Whitley said.

"Whitley." Winter said back.

"Surprised to see me?" Whitley asked, "Maybe? Just a little? No?"

"What took you so long?" Winter asked.

"I'm running an entire Kingdom," Whitley said, "My schedule is busy enough when I'm not making time for every... intruder."

Whitley strode over to the glass. The guards all made sure to give him a wide berth. He stopped, and snapped his fingers, not looking away from Winter. The guard standing behind the desk seemed to panic just a little, then grabbed the chair he'd been sitting in, and rushed it over to Whitley. He set it behind him, and Whitley sat down.

"You do this little show everywhere you go?" Winter asked, "Its a bit much."

"I certainly hope you're being well accommodated," Whitley said, ignoring Winter's statement, "despite your disruptive actions, you're still a Schnee. The guards were instructed to treat you with utmost respect."

Winter didn't answer.

"Seriously, give me the name of any guard that has wronged you," Whitley said.

"What's the plan, Whitley?" Winter asked, "I assaulted an Atlas military facility. You're not going to let that go without consequence. What are you planning to do with me?"

"Winter, Winter," Whitley said, shaking his head, "It's been some time since we last saw each other. Can't we take a moment to catch up? I want to know what you've been doing, how you've been, what Ironwood said to you to convince you to commit treason. Rest assured, penalties will come, but they can wait."

Winter bolted to her feet. She stared down at Whitley, fury in her eyes.

"I have not committed treason," She said, "Ironwood and I have been fighting to protect Atlas from you. There's no treason in fighting the takeover of a dictatorship."

Whitley ran his tongue over his teeth in annoyance. He stood, levelling himself with Winter.

"My rise in political power may be unprecedented, dear sister," He said, "But it has been entirely legal. You will find no one, save for your disgraced general, who will say otherwise."

"Whitley, you dissolved the council and declared yourself President for life," Winter said.

"Ahem. President-General." Whitley corrected, "I control the military, too. The council was archaic. And obsolete. There were five seats and I held three. As I could not be outvoted, the council served no purpose. The dissolution of the council was put to a vote, and, as luck would have it, I won. All entirely legal. You, however-"

"You have no idea how to wield the power you've seized," Winter said, "Its all going to come crashing down on you faster than you can imagine."

"...you committed treason by attacking a military facility, and stealing classified intelligence. It would be irresponsible of me to allow nepotism to endanger the Kingdom by letting this go unpunished. But perhaps, I would be able to lessen your sentence, if..."

"Let me guess," Winter said.

"You gave up the location of James Ironwood, and the other members of the resistance," Whitley said, "I would also appreciate you telling me what intelligence you stole."

"You _know_ what I stole," Winter said.

"And I know its too late for Ironwood to stop it," Whitley said, "Harbinger is going to happen, and its going to change the world. You have nothing to benefit from loyalty to him."

"What is Harbinger, Whitley?" Winter asked, "What are you building? A mech, a weapon, what?"

"Winter, I have methods of getting Ironwood's location out of you that I do not want to use, "Whitley said, "I mean that. We can resolve this as a family, can't we?"

Winter stood back from the glass. She crossed her arms and looked about the cell. She smirked.

"Remember when we were kids, Whitley?" Winter asked, "When I would break all of your toys? Its going to happen again."

Whitley scoffed.

"Not this time," He said.

The Colonel's scroll began buzzing. He withdrew it, and opened it. He looked down at it in surprise.

"Sir." He said, quietly.

Whitley glanced over his shoulder. He turned, and walked towards the Colonel. He turned back to Winter again as he neared the door.

"Father would not be pleased with us fighting amongst ourselves," He said, "You dishonour his memory."

Winter sat down. She looked about the cell, a little more nervously, as Whitley left the room. Whitley and the Colonel stepped out into the hall, closing the door behind them.

"What is it?" Whitley asked.

"Report just came in from the Northwest Security Checkpoint between Atlas and Mantle," The Colonel said, "Facial recognition picked up something you're gonna want to see."

Whitley looked down at the scroll. It was showing a video feed from a security camera. A young woman in a white hood, standing at a security desk. She was talking animatedly with the clerk. Eventually, she pulled back her hood. Whitley snorted in surprise.

"Its her?" He asked.

The Colonel sped the footage up, and stopped it a few seconds later, on a frame of Weiss staring directly into the camera. There was no question it was her.

"Well, well," Whitley said, "Welcome home, Weiss."

"How do you want to respond?" The Colonel asked.

"It was probably Ironwood who brought her on board," Whitley said, "When we get around to catching him, I think I'll use his constant endangerment of my sisters as evidence in his trial."

Whitley took a moment to think.

"She's in Mantle now, yes?" He asked.

"Probably, but we don't know where," The Colonel said, "We also don't know if the rest of her team is with her."

"Well, let's see if we can draw her out of hiding, then, shall we?" Whitley said.

"Sir?"

"Huntsmen and Huntresses are always looking for a fight," Whitley said, "Cause a little chaos, and they'll come running for miles. They're not unlike the Grimm in that regard. Ooh, I like that, actually. Have somebody write that down for the next Truth and Morality PSA."

"Sir, you're proposing-?"

"Rally the troops, Colonel," Whitley ordered, "Pay a visit to Mantle. Its time for a bit of riot suppression."


	6. Chapter 6

Weiss and Ruby sat in a small guest room on the second floor of the safehouse. Flynt had said they could stay there for as along as they were in Atlas. They hadn't had much to unpack; both had lost their bags of clothes when their ship exploded. Ruby was taking inventory of the ammunition she'd had on her. She only had a handful of standard cartridges, and a couple of each type of Dust ammo. She spun a cartridge about in her fingers, staring at the row of bullets she'd lined up on the desk. Weiss sat in the corner, reading through the datapad Ironwood had given her. All the information on it came from before Winter was captured, obviously, but there had to be something useful. Some hint as to where he would be keeping her. Maybe some sort of specialized prison for aura users. She was so focused on the pad that she missed something that Ruby had said. She looked up.

"What was that?" She asked.

"I said we could do it," Ruby said, "Take down the whole thing. We'll save Winter, stop Harbinger, and then keep fighting. We could do it."

"I know we can do it, Ruby" Weiss said, "But its more complicated than that. I want to put a stop to all this, I do, but we'd be committing to something big. Bigger than just Atlas."

"If we can expose everything Whitley is doing, Huntsmen from all over the world will join in," Ruby said.

"That's the problem," Weiss said, "Whenever Huntsmen or Huntresses take down a government, that makes other governments very nervous. Sure, the world is starting to get suspicious of what's going on in Atlas, and they'll agree that Whitley needed to be stopped, but... people don't like the idea of an independent organization deciding they have the authority to topple any government they disagree with."

The room shook slightly as an aircraft rumbled by overhead. It sounded strangely low.

"We've dealt with controversy before," Ruby said, "After the Battle of Mistral, after Lionheart... I mean, people were afraid of a Huntsman Civil War. But we all came together again to stop Salem, and people remembered why we're needed. I'm afraid that if we don't act, it'll have the opposite effect. What's going on in Atlas will be exposed eventually, and people will wonder why we were all so complacent. You saw what it was like downstairs. People are calling on us to act."

"Yeah..." Weiss sighed, "That was pretty unexpected. It's been bugging me- why didn't that woman with the baby recognize you until Flynt pointed you out? Weren't you talking right to her?"

"Its because I wasn't wearing the hood," Ruby grinned, "That's all people recognize, I'm just a little red-"

She was cut off suddenly by the unbelievably loud sound of an explosion, accompanied by the whole building shaking. Ruby stumbled, steadied herself on the desk and looked around in confusion. Another explosion sounded, further off, followed by a rattle of gunfire.

"Oh, no," Weiss whispered.

They both jumped up and charged out of the room. People through the safehouse were rushing about in a panic. Ruby slipped through the crowded hallway and ran downstairs, looking for Flynt. Weiss followed. They found him in the main room, directing the crowd.

"Everybody down into the basement!" He ordered, "Hidden room behind the bookshelves, just like we practised!"

The guys from the porch, who'd been guarding the front door, rushed in.

"It was down the street!" One of them reported, "One of the houses just exploded! It's the military, they're attacking all of Mantle!"

"What?!" Weiss asked.

"Grab the guns, put them into the stash!" Flynt told him, "Hide the radio equipment, or trash it if you don't have time!"

"What is going on?" Ruby asked.

"It's a raid," Flynt told her, "Either they're sending a reminder of who's in charge, or they know you're here. Trying to get your attention. We have to get these people to safety!"

"How would they know-?" Ruby started to ask, "There are people in danger all over Mantle! Weiss, we have to get out there!"

"Agreed. Flynt, you coming?" Weiss said.

"I gotta defend the safehouse!" Flynt said, "You guys go! Get out there and help whoever you can!"

Weiss and Ruby charged for the door. They burst out onto the porch and looked out at the street. The city was in chaos. Gunships were flying over Mantle, firing down at the streets below. Troop transports were dropping soldiers to the ground. The slum had turned into a war zone in a matter of seconds. Ruby drew Crescent Rose, and unfurled it. The massive scythe had changed a bit over the years. The blade was a little larger, and there were a few spikes and small blades sticking out all the length. If one looked closely, the transforming mechanisms were also arranged differently, allowing it to shift to a more recently added form. Weiss drew Myrtenaster. The sound of a machine gun drew there attention down the street.

The spider-mech that Weiss had seen on the way here was no longer patrolling idly. It was charging across the row of front lawns, opening firing on anybody it saw. A group of civilians were rushing for safety, trying to get around the corner of one of the houses. It levelled its mounted heavy machine gun, and fired.

"No!" Ruby screamed, "No, no, no!"

Weiss took off towards the mech, alternating between shooting blast of Fire Dust at it, and freezing the ground in front of her to boost her speed. The mech turned towards her and fired. She dodged in between the incoming bullets, slid straight beneath the mech, and struck it inside the joint of one of its back legs. The mech stumbled over, and Weiss slid to a stop behind it. The mech started trying to climb back to its feet. Ruby flew through the air towards it, and sliced its main gun off with a spinning attack. The mech aimed the sparking ruin of its weapon at Ruby, as if it hadn't figured out yet that it had been disabled. A missile pod popped out the side of the mech's head and took aim at Ruby. Weiss waved Myrtenaster and froze the missile pod in a block of ice. The missiles exploded inside the pod, destroying it. Ruby dashed underneath the mech, and sliced it along the underside. The mech rumbled, let out a mechanical groan, and collapsed.

"Why the Hell did Atlas bring back Spider Mechs?" Ruby asked, "They're completely inefficient."

"Because they look scary." Weiss said, "Better for intimidation."

Weiss looked over to the civilians the mech had shot at. She looked away. She looked over to Ruby. Ruby was loading Crescent, looking pissed.

"There are more people in trouble," Ruby said, "We need to end this as quick as we can. Split up."

"I can try taking out those gunships," Weiss said.

"Good idea," Ruby said, "I'll focus on the ground forces, try to draw their attention away from the civilians."

A troop transport flew in and came to a stop a few blocks away. It hovered just about the level of the rooftops, and opened its side-doors. Ruby switched Crescent to rifle form and used the scope to get a closer look. The first soldier to jump out caught her eye. He was clad in black, and wasn't holding a gun. Instead he was armed with a pair of massive gauntlets. The rest of the squad jumped out after him. Ruby raised an eyebrow.

"Stay safe." Weiss said.

She spotted a gunship just about to fly over the street she was on. She placed a glyph in the air in front of her, jumped onto it, and was launched up into the air. She used a couple more glyphs to boost her speed and intercepted the ship. She stabbed her sword into its side and was pulled along with it, out of Ruby's sight. Ruby nodded, then took off in the direction of the squad of soldiers.

Ironwood peered out of the alley he was hiding in. There were three soldiers on foot and a military vehicle with a mounted gun in the street. The soldiers were holding a row of people at gunpoint, keeping them on their knees. The front door of one of the houses on the other side of the street flew open. Two men came charging out with rifles, and fired at the soldiers. The soldier on the mounted gun opened up on them. The civilians screamed, and the soldiers ordered them to shut up.

"Shit." Ironwood whispered.

He opened up his scroll and made a call. He kept watch on the soldiers as he waited for an answer.

"Hello hello?" Came the voice of his contact.

"Are you okay?" Ironwood asked.

"Me? I'm fine. I mean, I'm a little hungry, but other than that-"

"Are you safe?" Ironwood demanded.

Over the scroll, there was the sound of a soldier shouting. There was a quick burst of gunfire, and then a bone-crunching impact.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine. Are you almost here?"

"I'll do my best to get to you," Ironwood said, "But I have to try and stop this attack."

"Seems like Weiss and Ruby are as bad at stealth as you are." The contact quipped.

"I'll be there in ten minutes." Ironwood said.

He hung up. He put the scroll away, and exhaled slowly. He straightened his jacket, then marched out of the alley towards the soldiers. The soldiers saw him and stared in surprise as he walked up.

"Soldier, what do you think you're doing?" He said.

"Wha- Ironwood?!" The guy in charge stammered.

"That's General James Ironwood, soldier. I'm ordering you to release these civilians and withdraw."

The soldiers seemed to regain their composure. They levelled their weapons on him.

"G- Get on the ground!" the soldier barked, "Get on your knees now!"

"Worth a shot." Ironwood said.

In a single smooth motion, he batted the barrel of the nearest soldier's rifle away and drew his revolver. He ducked to the left, putting the soldier between himself and the others. He snapped a shot off at the guy on the mounted gun, hitting him in the head. He put a shot into the chest of the guy in front of him, then followed up with a headshot. The civilians all struggled to get to their feet and scrambled for safety. The other two soldiers opened fire on Ironwood. He rolled to the side, shot one in the chest, then the other once in the chest and once in the head. He rushed forward and tackled the soldier who was still standing to the ground. He punched him in the head, knocking him out, then quickly reloaded his revolver. The driver's door of the vehicle opened, and the driver climbed out, holding a shotgun. Ironwood spun, kicked the door so that it slammed into the driver, and double tapped him.

From across the street, there was the sound of gunfire and screams. Some of the civilians had fled to an path between two houses, only to be cut down by the soldiers coming the same way. Ironwood grunted, and took off towards the soldiers. The one in the lead saw him, and raised his rifle to fire. Ironwood snapped off a shot to his gut and sprinted right past him as he fell. He elbowed the second soldier in the face and grabbed a hold of him, using him as a human shield. He shot the third soldier in the head then ducked as the fourth opened fire, riddling his shield with bullets. The first guy was trying to get up; Ironwood turned, shot him in the head, then kicked the guy he'd used a shield into the soldier who'd shot him. He strode over to the soldier, who was pinned underneath the body, reloading his revolver once again. He levelled the weapon at the soldier's head.

"Wait, wait!" The soldier shouted, "General Ironwood! Why are you doing this?!"

"Why- why am I doing this?!" Ironwood said, almost recoiling in disgust, "You're murdering civilians!"

"We're only following ord-"

Ironwood kicked him in the head. He'd wanted to shoot him. He'd wanted to shoot him more than anything. He took a moment, and rubbed his face.

"Team 7, have you rendezvoused with Team 3 yet?" Came a voice on the dead soldier's radio, "Team 7? Report!"

Ironwood reached down and grabbed the radio. He clicked the button and spoke.

"Attention all Atlas troops. This is General James Ironwood. Lay down your arms and withdraw from Mantle immediately."

"What the Hell?" The voice replied.

Ironwood double checked that he was speaking on all frequencies.

"Whitley Schnee may have stripped me of my rank, but I am still fighting for Atlas," Ironwood said, "And I will not abide seeing the military I once commanded attack its own people! If any of you have any respect left for me or for the uniform you wear, stop this attack, lay down your arms and withdraw!"

"Would somebody please convene on Team 7's last known position and kill that son of a bitch?" Came the reply.

"Yes sir," Another voice said, "We're en route now!"

Ironwood crushed the radio in his hand. He raised his revolver and aimed down the alley.

"Come and get me." He whispered.

Ruby leapt onto the roof of a dilapidated convenience store, and snuck over to the edge. She peered over to see the squad that had deployed to the street. She'd been right, the guy in charge didn't have a gun. He was instead armed with a pair of rocket gauntlets. His uniform identified him as a colonel. He was speaking into his radio.

"Would somebody please convene on Team 7's last known position and kill that son of a bitch?" He said.

He nodded in response to a reply Ruby couldn't hear. He set the radio back into its pouch on his belt.

"Right then, we'll deal with him later," He said, "Unless they actually succeed, somehow. Alright boys, you know the drill: Detain everybody you see. Anybody with a weapon, shoot 'em. Anybody fleeing, shoot 'em. Faunus, shoot 'em. Aura-user, make sure your helmet cam is on, then shoot 'em. Makes for great propaganda."

Ruby jumped over the edge of the building, landing on the sidewalk across the street from the squad. She swung her scythe about and planted the tip into the ground beside her. The soldiers turned and raised their weapons. The Colonel looked over to her and grinned.

"I guess not all the Huntsmen in Atlas went into hiding or got arrested!" Ruby shouted.

"Well, look who it is," The Colonel shouted back, "Ruby Rose. Welcome to Atlas! Hope we've made you feel welcome!"

"You turned your back on your own people!" Ruby shouted, "Even your fellow Huntsmen!"

"Hey, everybody's gotta make a living, kiddo!" The Colonel jested, "I'm fighting for the law! I'm fighting for order!"

Ruby looked around. There were columns of smoke in every direction from burning buildings. Gunfire was echoing all around them.

"This doesn't look like order." She said.

"Your reputation proceeds you, Ruby Rose." The Colonel said, "Always so passionate. And naive."

"Isn't Schnee trying to turn people against Aura-users?" Ruby asked, "Where do you fit in?"

"Sometimes you gotta fight fire with fire, kid," The Colonel said, "Speaking of which..."

He raised up his fists, and his gauntlets armed themselves, humming with energy.

"You're supposed to be the best," The Colonel said, "Don't disappoint me."

Ruby swung Crescent Rose around and transformed it. The scythe collapsed into a two handed hilt. The blade straightened, then folded out, forming a long double-edge in line with the hilt. The cross guard deployed and the blade clicked into place, completing the transformation. Ruby held the longsword out at arm's length.

"Tell your men not to interfere." Ruby said.

The Colonel laughed.

"Boys," The Colonel said, "Enjoy the show."

The soldiers laughed and lowered their weapons. The Colonel charged forward. Ruby used a burst of Speed to shoot towards him, thrusting her sword forward. He stopped, sidestepped the blade, and brought his knee up, catching Ruby in the gut. He immediately followed with a punch that caught her in the shoulder. Ruby cried out in pain as she tumbled, then rolled back up to her feet, facing her opponent. The Colonel grinned, and tapped a few buttons on the side of his right gauntlet. It hummed a little louder as it powered up. Ruby shot forward, dodging from side to side as she closed the distance between them. The Colonel threw out a punch with his left. This time Ruby dodged around the attack and slashed at his side. He turned to hit back, but she used Speed to jump to his other side and struck him there. She swung again, but this time he turned, and grabbed hold of Crescent's blade with his right hand. The rockets in his left gauntlet fired, and propelled his fist into Ruby's chest. Ruby was sent flying backwards, turned to rose petals before hitting the ground, and reformed. She took a deep breath.

She charged forward again, and the Colonel charged to meet her. She leapt into the air, spinning her sword with a strike aimed at his head. He angled both his gauntlets upwards and fired the rockets in a quick burst, lifting himself up into the air. Ruby stopped her spin in mid-air, twisted and blocked with her sword. His boot struck Crescent's side, and Ruby was propelled back towards the ground. This time, she landed it, and was attacking again before he even reached the ground. She unleashed a flurry of strikes, coming at him from every angle. He moved just as quickly, blocking each strike with his gauntlets. He was far faster than he looked. He swung out his hand and batted Crescent aside mid-swing. With his other hand, he thrust forward and grabbed Ruby by the hair. Ruby cried out as he yanked her head to one side, and then punched her right in the face. He stepped back, and Ruby stood there, dazed. He raised up his foot and kicked Ruby square in the chest, sending her flying down the street. She slammed into the grill of a pickup truck, the wind knocked out of her.

The soldiers were laughing, and cheering. Ruby shook her head, trying to focus. The Colonel punched in a sequence on his right gauntlet, chuckling.

"I've heard stories about you. I've heard that you killed Tyrian Callows in single combat." The Colonel said, "Were they just stories?"

He sprinted forward, firing his gauntlet as he ran. The plume of exhaust from the thruster was longer than his whole arm. A split second before impact, Ruby changed to rose petals. The Colonel's fist slammed into the truck. There was a thunderous sound of metal deforming, and the truck's engine block burst out of the back of it. Ruby reformed behind the Colonel, and immediately spun into a barrage of strikes. She slashed the back of his calf, sending him to one knee, then hit him in the back of the head, slamming his face down into the shattered mess of the vehicle. He struggled to his feet, raising an arm to block. He blocked a few hits, but it wasn't enough. She hit him in the gut, the face, and the side. He threw out a wild haymaker. She dodged underneath it and thrust into his exposed armpit. He cried out in pain and recoiled. She came at him with a massive overhead swing. He thrust his hand up and caught her by the wrist. He punched her in the gut with his free hand, then grabbed her other wrist. He pulled her hands out to either side, headbutted her in the forehead. Ruby fell back, and hit the ground.

"Come on," He wheezed, stumbling towards her, "Is that all you got?"

Ruby squirmed, and started crawling backwards. He rushed forwards, and grabbed her by the jacket. He pulled her up, grabbed the wrist of Ruby's sword-arm, and held her arm above her head. The gauntlet on his other hand hummed as it powered up. He pulled it back, then fired the thruster, propelling his fist into her elbow. There was a horrid popping sound. Ruby screamed, dropped Crescent, and fell back, holding her dislocated arm. The soldiers cheered again. The Colonel stepped back, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Weren't just stories," Ruby grunted, "They were embellished a bit, though."

"Oh, yeah?" The Colonel asked, "How so?"

"It wasn't single combat," Ruby said, "I don't fight alone."

A shadow passed over the Colonel. The soldier suddenly started shouting. He looked up in surprise to see a truly massive great-sword swinging down towards him. He dove away as the sword slammed into the ground, blasting apart the pavement between the Colonel and Ruby. The two of them stared as the massive, glowing white form of a giant suit of armour stood to its full height, over 5 meters tall. It hefted its sword up, and raised it above its head, ready to bring it down on the Colonel. Ruby struggled to her feet and grabbed Crescent with her right hand. The soldiers all opened fire on the armour, their bullets pinging off uselessly. The knight turned to them, and threw its sword right at them. The soldiers that weren't hit directly were knocked in all directions.

Weiss dropped down from above, and landed next to Ruby.

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes," Weiss said.

"I had him on the ropes." Ruby replied.

The Colonel turned and saw Weiss.

"Schnee!" He yelled, "Well, doesn't this-"

As he stepped towards them, a massive white hand grabbed him around the midsection. He cried out in surprise as the armour lifted him up. It held him up in front of its "face," and seemed to glare at him. He immediately began punching its wrist. The armour turned, pulled its hand back, and threw the Colonel as hard as it could. He went flying away into the distance, disappearing from view. The knight strode over to its sword. One soldier who'd evaded the attack moved to scramble away. The knight lifted up its massive foot and stomped on him. It pulled its sword out of the ground and rested it on its shoulder.

"Thanks for the save." Ruby said.

"No problem," Weiss said, "Give me that arm."

Ruby held out her arm to Weiss. Weiss took it and examined it carefully. She gripped Ruby's forearm gently, but firmly, and place her other hand on what was supposed to be the inside of the elbow. Ruby took a deep breath.

"I have to apply pressure slowly, and then it'll pop back in," Weiss said, "The pressure's going to hurt, and then the pop will hurt more."

"Go for it." Ruby said.

Weiss began pushing, softly at first, but getting harder. Ruby gritted her teeth, and grabbed Weiss's shoulder with her other hand to steady herself. Weiss did her best to increase the pressure steadily. She started to feel the joint shifting, about to snap back into place. Somewhere behind and above her, she heard the sound of an airship approaching. Ruby looked up and saw a gunship screaming towards them. The gatling guns on the front of it started spinning up.

"Weiss-" She managed to get out.

As the gunship fired, the armour's sword smashed into the ground next to the two of them, the blade blocking them. The barrage of bullets slammed into the sword, denting but not piercing it. The moment the fire stopped, the knight pulled the sword from the ground and threw it. It spun through the air and hit the gunship, clipping one of its engines off. The sword kept flying, then dissipated in the air. Now there was a gunship, minus one engine, spiralling out of the air at Ruby and Weiss. The armour turned, crouched, and shielded them with its body. The gunship slammed into its back and exploded. Amidst the cacophonous explosion, there was a much smaller pop as Ruby's elbow snapped back into place. She cried out in pain. The armour stood, shook the debris of the gunship from its back, then dissipated. Ruby and Weiss straightened back up.

"You're getting really good at that," Ruby said, flexing her arm.

"Takes a lot out of me," Weiss said, "Especially something that big."

There was the sound of engines down the street. A group of military vehicles came rolling around the corner, rushing towards them. There were jeeps with mounted guns, troop trucks, and APCs. Weiss turned and saw more vehicles coming from the opposite direction.

"Well, they've found what they came here for," Ruby said.

The vehicles all skidded to a halt around the two of them. Soldiers piled out, guns at the ready. Weiss and Ruby raised their swords, and stood back to back. The soldiers formed a circle around them, aiming their weapons.

"Weiss Schnee, stand down," One of the soldiers said, "We have orders to bring you in alive."

"That's unfortunate for you." Weiss shouted back.

"Put your weapons on the ground!" The soldier ordered, "We'll take your partner alive as well, but we don't have to if you resist."

"Try it!" Ruby shouted.

"We're not in a good position," Weiss whispered, "And your Aura is low."

"Any chance of bringing the armour back out?" Ruby whispered back.

"Not twice in a row," Weiss said, "I would barely be able to stand. But..."

"Last chance!" The soldier shouted, "We will open fire!"

Weiss flicked her sword, and a Summoning Glyph appeared in the air next to them. The soldiers all tensed up.

"On three," Weiss said, "One... two... three!"

Ruby and Weiss both dashed out in opposite directions. The Summoning Glyph spun in the air, and a ghostly white figure burst out of it. The figure was that of a young woman, with short hair except for two long locks hanging down behind her. The figure wielded a pair of one-handed scythes. The summon dashed out of the glyph and charged the soldiers. The soldiers all opened fire at once. Ruby, Weiss, and the summon weaved in between the bullets, slicing down the soldiers. Each was a tornado of blades, cutting down their attackers with ease. A soldier on a jeep's mounted weapon opened fire, spraying at Ruby. The summon jumped through the air, transformed her scythes into revolver form, and emptied them into the guy on the gun. The soldiers' numbers were halved in a matter of seconds. Ruby used Speed to zigzag from one side of the battlefield to the other, picking off the remaining soldiers. One soldier got lucky, and blasted Weiss's summon in the back with a shotgun. Weiss shot straight through the figure as it dissipated and took down the soldier. She waved her sword and launched a barrage of Dust blasts that sought out the few soldiers left. Finally, Weiss and Ruby were the only ones left standing.

"Good work," Ruby said.

There was a soft groan from one of the soldiers who was still alive. Weiss and Ruby turned to stare at him. He made a desperate attempt to crawl away. Weiss strode up to him and planted a foot on his back.

"Tell my brother..." Weiss said, before stopping for a moment to regain her composure, "Tell him... that if he wants me, he doesn't have to harm any more innocent people to do it."

"You can't- can't run. Can't escape," The soldier grunted, "He's ordered the borders to be locked down tighter than ever. Nobody leaves Atlas."

"Who's running?" Weiss asked, "I'm coming for him."

Weiss kicked the soldier in the head, knocking him unconscious. She stepped off of him, breathing heavily. She looked at Ruby. Ruby looked back at her, and nodded. A radio on a soldier nearby crackled to life.

"Attention all troops," Came the voice of the Colonel, "Fall back. We're done here."

Weiss breathed a sigh of relief. She looked around at the chaos that had been brought down on the city in just a few minutes.

"Come on," Ruby said, "There are people who still need our help."

"I guess we're doing it, then," Weiss said, "We just started something big."

"Well, we can worry about that later," Ruby said, "Come on, let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

Weiss and Ruby made it back to the safehouse several hours later, tired and dirty from rushing about Mantle, lending aid wherever they could. They'd saved quite a few people, but there had been many who were beyond help. All told, the attack on Mantle had cost several hundred lives. It wasn't the first time the two of them had been faced with a battlefield where the majority of victims were innocents. Every person they lost weighed on the both of them heavily.

They walked up to the safehouse, looking about to make sure they weren't being followed. The last thing they needed was the military tracking them to the resistance, and starting the attack right up again. Satisfied that all was quiet, they knocked on the door, and were let in. Flynt was waiting for them by the door. He looked exhausted, but happy to see them.

“Welcome back,” He said, “I guess this was as good a welcome as you could have asked for.”

“This is insane,” Weiss said, “Have attacks like that happened before?”

“Never on that scale,” Flynt said, “Not the whole town. Usually it's in response to a protest, or something like that. They come here, shoot up a few blocks, and the media celebrates their decisive action. Hell, the news is already blaming this attack on Huntsmen.”

“What?” Ruby asked.

“Apparently two Huntresses, and a rogue war-criminal, started dishing out vigilante justice. Got a lot of civilians killed, and the military was sent out to stop them and provide aid.”

“We just- we were the ones who-” Ruby started.

“I've been trying to spread the truth over the radio,” Flynt said, “Propaganda. That's the real key to Schnee's control. So, I heard you might be staying?”

Weiss nodded.

“I had no idea things were so bad here,” She said, “I'm so sorry. The reason I was hesitant was because I didn't realize just how horrible things were with Whitley in charge.”

“You grew up with him,” Ruby said, “Did he not seem like he'd be capable of doing something like this?”

“No, I- I don't know,” Weiss said, “It's hard to tell. He always seemed content to live in father's shadow. Maybe he was always vying for power. Maybe Father's death changed him. There's no time to worry about that now. Is Ironwood here?”

“Yeah, come on,” Flynt said, “He, uh, he brought his contact. Listen, you're not going to be happy about him being here.”

They started down the hall towards the living room. The safehouse had become an impromptu field hospital. The side-rooms were now filled with injured people getting first aid.

“Ironwood and I still need to talk about Winter,” Weiss said, “She's still my priority. He has a lot to make up for, but if this “contact” can help rescue her, I'm fine with it.”

They entered the living room. Ironwood was on the couch, applying bandages to a young Faunus girl's arm. He turned and saw the three of them, and nodded.

“Schnee, Rose,” He said, “Good work out there. Heard you stopped the attack.”

“We didn't,” Ruby said, “They called it off. They got what they wanted.”

“And what was that?” Flynt asked.

“To hurt us,” Weiss said, “To get under my skin. Let me know he knows I'm here. Who knows.”

“Whitley is going to answer for all of this, Weiss,” Ironwood said.

“First things first,” Weiss said, “We need to talk about how this is going to work moving forward. We are saving Winter. I don't want to hear a word about Harbinger until we do. You are going to help me do it. Your contact- where is he?”

“He's upstairs, he'll be down soon,” Ironwood said.

“He's going to help rescue Winter,” Weiss continued, “Once she's safe, we look into Harbinger. We're not destroying it until we figure out what it is. If it's worth it to stop it, we'll do that, if not, I'm going for Whitley directly.”

“How do you plan to stop him?” Ruby asked, “I mean, even if we get to him...”

“We'll figure something out,” Weiss said, “We can capture him, seize control of his military, or force him to surrender somehow...”

“Weiss, I hate to do this,” Ironwood said, “But your brother is a danger to Atlas. And the rest of the world. If we get a shot at taking him down permanently...”

“That won't be necessary,” Weiss said, “Whitley might be mad with power, but... he's not _evil_. If we can get to him, maybe I can talk some sense into him.”

“Yeah, because that always works.” Came a voice behind them.

Weiss and Ruby turned around. Weiss was taken aback. Ruby's jaw dropped. There, leaning in the door frame, crossing his arms casually with a cocky grin on his face, was Mercury Black. He was wearing a silver longcoat, and his hair hung down across his face on the right side, obscuring the burn scars there. Flynt looked nervously between the two Huntresses and the assassin. Ironwood rose to his feet.

“You two... If you remain calm, I can explain-” He managed to get out.

In an instant, Ruby became a blur of movement. Mercury stepped to the side and Crescent Rose's sword-form plunged into the door frame. Ruby withdrew the sword and spun, swinging at Mercury. Mercury spun, ducked under the blade, and brought his foot up, catching Ruby in the face with a roundhouse kick. Weiss shot forward, thrusting Myrtenaster at Mercury's face. He deftly batted the blade away with his hand and brought a knee up into Weiss's chest.

“Stop!” Ironwood demanded, “All three of you stop!”

Ruby swung her sword overhead, and brought it down on Mercury. His arm flew up and he blocked the sword with his forearm. He kicked Ruby in her exposed stomach. Weiss thrusted at his side. This time, Mercury grabbed Myrtenaster's blade, jumped, and punched Weiss in the face.

“Guys, stop!” Flynt yelled

Ruby swung at Mercury again. Mercury parried the swing, spun and kicked Ruby in the side, slamming her into the wall. He brought his foot up and pinned her to the wall by the neck. There was a loud click as the shotgun in his boot armed itself. Weiss spun Myrtenaster's cylinder and pressed the tip of the word to the back of Mercury's head. Ironwood drew his revolver and levelled it at Mercury. Flynt pulled out his trumpet, spun it on one finger, then gripped it tightly.

“All three of you. Stop.” Ironwood ordered.

“They attacked me first!” Mercury said

“Ruby, you start a fight in here, people get hurt.” Flynt said.

“Let her go.” Weiss demanded to Mercury.

“Weiss, kill him.” Ruby said, trying to breath with Mercury's boot pressed to her neck.

“No, no!” Ironwood said, “All of you need to calm down, I can explain this.”

“You're working with this guy?!” Weiss asked Ironwood, “Are you kidding me?!”

“Weiss, kill him.” Ruby said again.

“Mercury,” Ironwood said, “Stand down, or I will shoot you.”

“They attacked me!” Mercury said.

“I don't care,” Ironwood said, “Stand down, last chance.”

Mercury looked between Ironwood and Ruby. He tried to turn his head to see Weiss, but she pushed Myrtenaster against his head even harder. Eventually, he chuckled, and dropped his foot down. He straightened up his coat and stepped away while Ruby coughed and rubbed her neck. Weiss kept her sword raised.

“How are you alive?” Weiss asked.

“Doesn't matter,” Ruby wheezed, “Kill him.”

“Did you actually think I was dead?” Mercury asked, “I'm insulted.”

“I watched Yang tear your legs off and then punch you off a bridge,” Weiss said.

“I managed to get my Aura back up before hitting the ground,” Mercury said.

“You were on fire.”

“I got lucky,” Mercury said, “There was water down there. It put out the fire, and the current carried me out of Grimm territory while I was unconscious.”

“Ironwood, are you seriously working with this scumbag?” Ruby asked.

“I was going to tell you. I was planning on telling you _before_ he came downstairs.”

“I wanted to see the look on their faces,” Mercury said, shrugging.

“You killed Penny,” Ruby said, looking at Mercury with cold hatred.

“Emerald killed Penny,” Mercury said, before glancing at Weiss, “I hear you killed Emerald.”

“You helped kill her,” Ruby said, “You don't get to walk away from that.”

“Look, Red, Ice Queen, you two have the wrong idea about me,” Mercury said, “I was only working with Cinder for the money.”

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other, then back to Mercury in disbelief.

“Is this guy serious?” Flynt asked.

“Bare with me, alright?” Mercury said, “When Cinder came to me, I saw the job as an opportunity to kick people in the head. Do what you love, and you'll never work a day in your life, you know? Next thing I know, I'm in a room with a bunch of weirdos, plotting to destroy the world.”

“And you were helping them,” Weiss hissed. She gripped Myrtenaster tightly. With her thumb, she clicked the cylinder one chamber over, switching the sword to Fire Dust.

“I _like_ the world,” Mercury said, “It's where I keep most of my stuff. I didn't care about Salem, or her plans, or any nonsense about gods of darkness. So, I saw an out, and I took it.”

“By “saw an out”, you mean you got your legs ripped off, and then punched off a bridge on fire?” Ruby asked.

“Yes, that was implied,” Mercury nodded, “After that, I figured I'd hide in the Kingdom with the best chance of surviving Salem's war. A few years later, I was making a decent living in the underground, when who should come to me for help but the tin man?”

“It wasn't my choice,” Ironwood said, “But working with Black was necessary to stop Schnee.”

“This is unbelievable,” Ruby said, “This is a new low, Ironwood.”

“Oh, well, that's rude,” Mercury said, “That makes me feel good.”

“So what do you do, exactly?” Weiss asked Mercury, before turning to Ironwood, “You're not having him assassinate people, are you?”

“No, Weiss, I'm a middle man,” Mercury said, “I know the underground, I know the people. Jimmy needs a hacker, I find him one. He needs intel on a military facility, I know a guy. There's a lot of stuff the douchebag with the trumpet can't help him with, that's where I come in.”

“Thanks for that,” Flynt said.

“If we could all just calm down,” Ironwood said, “There's more going on here than any rivalries in the past.”

“We're not going to pretend what he did didn't happen,” Ruby said.

“Yeah, we're not doing this,” Weiss said, “We're not actually doing this, are we?”

“I'm not suggesting he gets a pass,” Ironwood insisted, “But Whitley is a bigger threat right now.”

“Maybe, but this threat is more easily solved.” Weiss noted.

“Try it.” Mercury shot back.

“ _Anyway_ , if we work together, for mutual benefit, we can put off any grudges until Atlas is saved.” Ironwood said, “Black, show them what you have.”

Mercury began rummaging in his pocket.

“Like I said, I found a hacker,” He said, “For the right price, he'll create a program, a virus, whatever you need to break a security system. He made the program Winter used to steal those files on Harbinger. Not a glowing recommendation, I know.”

“It was supposed to be a stealth breach,” Ironwood said, “They detected it instantly. How can we trust this guy knows what he's doing?”

“The facility you used it in had way higher security than he anticipated,” Mercury explained, “This time, though, he knows the exact security specs of the target. And he used them... to make this.”

Mercury produced a small flash drive from his pocket, and held it out. Ironwood reached for it, before Weiss snagged it from Mercury's hand.

“What is it? What does it do?” She asked.

“Think of it like a search function for encrypted databases,” Mercury said, “Plug that baby into the main control console at the CCTS Tower, it'll give you every document that so much as mentions Harbinger. If the encryption isn't too strong, of course.”

“The CCTS Tower?” Ruby asked, “Why there?”

“Because 90% of electronic communication in Atlas is routed through there,” Mercury said, “Which means all of it can be intercepted there. That program won't break high-level encryption, but I guarantee you someone, somewhere in Atlas has mentioned something about Harbinger without taking care to properly encrypt the communication. Weakest link in cyber-security is always the people using it.”

“Can you search for anything?” Ruby asked.

“Sure. I mean, you're not going to be surfing the web, but the program can be modified to look for-”

“Winter,” Weiss said, “This is how we rescue her.”

“Well, that'd be a waste,” Mercury said.

“Weiss, I know you're pissed at me right now,” Ironwood said, “You have a right to be. But I need you to understand-”

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but Ironwood held up a hand to stop her.

“-that that is exactly what we're doing with that program. I was wrong to try to keep Winter's capture from you, and after seeing what Whitley is capable of out there... I've realized it's very important we save Winter as soon as possible.”

Weiss looked at Ironwood with suspicion, then nodded. Ruby looked between them.

“Ruby...” Weiss asked, “If we didn't kill Mercury right now, would that be okay?”

Ruby glared at Mercury. He grinned at her.

“Okay,” Ruby said, “Because Winter needs us. But, Mercury, this isn't over. This isn't you joining our team. This ends with you in prison, got it?”

“Sure.” Mercury said.

“Alright. We'll find where they're keeping Winter,” Ruby said, “We'll save her. And if I know Winter, she's already using this as an opportunity to gather information. Information that'll help us stop Whitley.”

There was a quiet moment as the three of them mulled this over. Mercury was once again leaning on the door frame, staring at them with a bemused grin. Flynt had been distracted from the conversation by the young girl who still sat on the coach. He was carefully checking over Ironwood's bandaging job. Eventually, he shook his head, unravelled the bandage, and began reapplying it.

“Okay,” Weiss said, “Let's do it. We're attacking the CCTS?”

“That's in the dead center of Atlas,” Ruby said, “We'll be fighting our way in and out.”

“Doesn't seem like you to worry about that,” Mercury said.

“Worried? I'm saying that's a plus.” Ruby said.

“You have a point, though,” Ironwood said, “A frontal assault is too brazen. This should be a stealth op.”

“You're great at those.” Mercury quipped.

“This isn't a military facility,” Ironwood said, “We go plain clothes, we could get close to the objective before going loud.”

“How far into the facility is the main control console?” Weiss asked, “How far from civilian areas?”

“Couple of floors,” Flynt said, “Server rooms, a couple security stations. It'll be a fight, but it's doable.”

“By the time you get to the console, if they don't sever outside connections- which is an actual concern this time, by the way- two hundred Atlas army thugs will be plowing in the doors after you.” Mercury pointed out.

“Is there a way to walk right in?” Ironwood asked, “Can your hacker, or somebody else, whip up some fake IDs that'll get us inside?”

“We don't have time to have fake IDs made,” Weiss said, “Every hour we waste, God knows what could be happening to Winter.”

“I got it,” Ruby said, “I got it.”

Everybody turned and looked at her.

“We're going to steal that information right from under their noses, and they're not even going to think we got in the front door,” Ruby said, “Two of us go in, plain clothes, no fake IDs, there's no time. The two inside slip out of sight and sneak towards the main console. Two of us outside start a broad daylight attack. Cause some property damage, take down some security personnel, and give them time to lock down the building.”

“They think they're keeping us out, but we're already inside,” Weiss said.

“Exactly. Security in the building will be distracted by the fight on their doorstep, giving the insertion team a clear path. They hack the console, or whatever, get the information, lift the lockdown from within, then slip out without anybody seeing them. Then the two outside run off, and it looks like the attack failed.”

“That could work,” Flynt said.

“That's a fantastic plan!” Mercury said, “It's overly complicated, has no guarantee of success, and has enormous potential to go disastrously wrong in ways you can't predict!”

“Well, I don't see you coming up with anything.” Ruby said.

“He doesn't need to,” Ironwood said, “It's a good plan. We can make that work.”

“We should get prepared, then,” Flynt said, “I think I have a map of the CCTS building's layout somewhere around here.”

“Good, because we go tomorrow morning,” Weiss said, “I need to restock on Dust, can I check your armoury?”

“Go ahead,” Flynt said, “Hey, Ironwood, can I talk to you for a moment?”

“Sure,” Ironwood said.

The five of them went their separate ways; Weiss and Ruby towards the armoury, Flynt and Ironwood towards the communications room. Mercury stayed in the room, leaning against the wall. He looked around and noticed the little girl still seated on the couch.

“Hey, kid,” He said, “What are you up to?”

The girl held up her bandaged arm.

“I got hit by a piece of shrapnel,” She said, “Why doesn't Ruby Rose like you?”

“Well, we have a bit of a history,” Mercury said, “We went to school together once.”

“Are you a bad guy?” The girl asked.

“Nah,” Mercury said, “I just like kicking people in the head.”

Flynt and Ironwood stepped into the communications room. Most of the desks were stripped clean of electronics, with only wires laying across them. One desk still had a radio and a computer on it.

“We hid most of the radio equipment when the attack began,” Flynt said, “In case they came here. One radio was left running. We recorded something interesting on the military comms.”

He tapped a few buttons on the computer's keyboard, brought up an audio file and hit play. There were a few garbled sounds of static, and then Ironwood's voice came through.

“Attention all Atlas troops. This is General James Ironwood. Lay down your arms and withdraw from Mantle immediately.” The recording said.

Flynt looked up at Ironwood. Ironwood smiled a little. The recording continued.

“Whitley Schnee may have stripped me of my rank, but I am still fighting for Atlas, and I will not abide seeing the military I once commanded attack its own people! If any of you have any respect left for me or for the uniform you wear, stop this attack, lay down your arms and withdraw!”

The recording stopped.

“Guess I got a little fired up,” Ironwood said, “They were attacking civilians.”

“That is solid gold, right there,” Flynt said, “You know, you may not realize it, but there are still military and civilians who respect you. They may not say it out loud, but they aren't happy about Schnee kicking out one of the best Generals Atlas ever had.”

“I'm not trying to start a revolution,” Ironwood said, “Schnee can still be removed with as little mess as possible.”

“You gotta give the people the chance to fight for themselves,” Flynt said, “This is a call to action. If a few people stop following Schnee's orders, more will follow. Maybe you'll save Atlas, or maybe Atlas will save Atlas.”

“What are asking me to do?” Ironwood asked.

“I just want your permission to use this clip on pirate radio,” Flynt said, “Let it inspire the people.”

“Go right ahead,” Ironwood said, “Maybe if it sows a little dissension in the ranks, it'll make this easier.”

“Sure, exactly,” Flynt said, “I'll get to work editing into my counter-propaganda segments.”

Flynt turned to leave. He stopped.

“At any rate,” He said, “It might help counter the spin the media is putting on this attack.”

 

* * *

 

 

Images of chaos and fire splashed across the holo-screen. Heavily edited clips of Atlas soldiers marching through Mantle, firing their weapons, and shouting out commands to each other played one after another, on a loop. What they were firing at was always just offscreen. A video clip from a helmet camera showed Ruby Rose drawing her weapon and transforming it into a massive sword. This was followed by a sequence of clips of soldiers tending to wounded civilians. The news feed was captioned with the words “Military Suppresses Huntsmen Attack On Mantle!”

Winter stared at the screen, taking the images in. The holo-screen was being projected just on the other side of the glass wall of her cell. Whitley stood a couple meters to the side, arms crossed, smiling at Winter. Winter looked at the news ticker at the bottom of the screen. “War Criminal James Ironwood spotted attacking civilians” read one headline, “Huntsmen attack was unprovoked” another said. Eventually, a headline appeared that made Winter's stomach drop. “At least 200 civilians killed by Huntsmen.” Winter put her head in her hands.

“I get it,” She said to Whitley, “Just turn it off.”

“Are you sure?” Whitley asked, “It must get dreadfully boring down here, surely some TV would break up the monotony a bit. Besides, I don't think you do get it.”

“You're punishing me, and you're punishing Ironwood,” Winter said, “And trying to root him out by committing atrocities that you know he'll try to stop. You're relying on the man you hate so much being a better man than you.”

Whitley opened his mouth to respond, then closed it. He ran his tongue across his front teeth.

“I relied on him being predictable,” Whitley said, “And simple-minded. All this trouble to sneak into the city and this is all it takes to draw him out of hiding.”

“Well, you failed,” Winter said, “All you accomplished was Ironwood killing your thugs.”

“On the contrary, sister,” Whitley said, “I sent a strong message to the resistance that their crimes have consequences. I not only confirmed Ironwood was in Mantle, but also identified our dear sister, Weiss, and Ruby Rose. You know the stories the media has been telling about Ruby, the people will love to see her put on trial. We can keep a news cycle of the attack going for weeks, which will cement the people of Atlas's hatred of Huntsmen even more. And as a fringe bonus, I get to punish you. This was a very successful day.”

“Weiss, Ironwood, and Ruby are going to come for you,” Winter said, “You shouldn't need me to tell you that you just made them very angry. They'll be coming for you all the harder, now.”

“I'm counting on it,” Whitley said, “In the meantime, perhaps you'd reconsider giving me their location?”

Winter spat at Whitley, the ball of saliva splattering against the glass between them.

“...that was rude,” Whitley said, “I thought you might reconsider, because, truth be told, no, we did not succeed in apprehending them as planned. So we're going to have to try again, maybe tomorrow, maybe in a week, and we'll just have to send more firepower next time. You could make that unnecessary. Would you like to?”

Winter sat down on the bench, and looked away from Whitley. Whitley glanced at the holo-screen. The newscasters were discussing how brutal the punishment for the Huntsmen and Huntresses involved should be. Whitley snapped his fingers, and one of the guards in the room turned the screen off.

“It doesn't have to be this way, Winter,” Whitley said, “Once Ironwood is dead, and Harbinger is complete, perhaps you'll understand. I still hope we can be a proper, happy family. Ironwood is turning you and Weiss against me.”

“You don't anything about what a “proper, happy family” is,” Winter said, “All you ever knew was living in Father's shadow! All you ever did was suck up to him. You resent Weiss and I for being smart enough to get away from him.”

“Oh, and where did that leave me?” Whitley shot back, “Despite being the youngest of three, I was somehow the heir of his company when he met his unfortunate end. Because I played it _smart_. And I'd say I've proven myself far more successful than he ever was. I took his failing company and made it more profitable than ever. I turned the closed borders he feared so much into a positive! Its easy to corner the market when every business in a walled city belongs to you. And with a few years of political manoeuvring, here I am. Yes, I am more than that unambitious old fool ever was. The best thing he ever did for me, for any of us, was kill himself.”

Winter stared at Whitley in disgust.

“Oh, don't act like you miss him,” Whitley scoffed, “The point is, after he did it, with him out of the way, we could have been a family. Except you had to go and side with Ironwood. So now it's you under Ironwood's shadow, and what has that gotten you? He's a war criminal, and and he abandoned you to be captured.”

“You done?” Winter asked.

Whitley took a moment to breathe. He stared at Winter, frustrated.

“I have a few more tricks planned,” Whitley said, “Ironwood will be caught or dead by the time we test Harbinger. And you best hope he is, because on the off chance he continues to allude us... I will have to do everything necessary to make you talk.”

Whitley exhaled. His shoulders slumped a little. Winter stared at him, furious, but with the faintest glimmer of fear in her eyes.

“Why can't you just see my side?” He whispered.

“I do, Whitley,” Winter said, “I thought I did. When I got the news that Father had... had committed suicide, well, I didn't understand it. Still don't. But I thought it was a chance. Not just for us, or for this family, but for you. I thought it was a chance for you to become your own man. I didn't need the company, I was happy for you that you had it.”

Whitley looked at Winter suspiciously, but smiled.

“I thought you could make it something he couldn't. Something better.” Winter continued, “But all you care about is showing up a dead man by being an even bigger bastard than he is.”

“Hey-” Whitley started.

“You're not leaving his shadow, Whitley,” Winter said, “You're following his footsteps better than if you were trying to. You're still just his puppet.”

“You... you don't understand,” Whitley said, “You know nothing. You don't understand me, or what I'm trying to do here. I am not him. You'll see. I'll show you.”

Whitley turned, and strode towards the door. Winter called after him, but he didn't stop. He stepped out the door and into the hallway, cursing under his breath. A short ways down the hall, the Colonel was standing at attention. Seeing that Whitley had left the holding room, he walked over.

“Good news, please.” Whitley said.

“After the attack ended, Weiss said something to one of my men,” The Colonel said, “His helmet picked it up.”

He held up his scroll, and hit the play button.

“Tell my brother...” Weiss said in the recording, “Tell him... that if he wants me, he doesn't have to harm any more innocent people to do it.”

“You can't- can't run. Can't escape,” A voice replied, “He's ordered the borders to be locked down tighter than ever. Nobody leaves Atlas.”

“Who's running?” Weiss asked, “I'm coming for him.”

There was the sound of an impact, and the recording stopped.

“That is good news,” Whitley said.

“Sir,” The Colonel said, “I would like to apologize for my failure to apprehend Weiss and Ironwood.”

“I already saw the footage of your fight,” Whitley said, “You did as well as could be expected. I certainly can't fault you for facing Ruby Rose one on one and surviving. Besides, you will have another opportunity.”

“What's our next move, Sir?” The Colonel asked.

“Weiss is probably going to attempt to rescue Winter,” Whitley said, “She's sentimental, like that. However, she doesn't know where Winter is.”

“And the quickest way to get that information...” The Colonel began.

“...the CCTS Tower, precisely,” Whitley said, “That's where they'll be headed. Reinforce troops there, head there yourself, actually. They'll attempt either stealth or an all out attack. Probably at night, but they might be brazen enough for a daylight attack. Keep the extra forces out of sight, and when they show up, hit them with everything.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Oh, and one more thing,” Whitley said, “I only need Weiss alive. Feel free to use whatever force necessary to put down Ironwood and Rose.”

“Yes, Sir.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

Haven Academy's training room was rather different from Beacon's. Rather than high-tech holograms for marksmanship practise, Haven had paper targets hanging on a shooting range. There weren't any force fields around the sparring ring, just well-worn ropes. The equipment was all well-used, but well-maintained. The only sign of serious disrepair was a recent addition; a massive crack going up the side of one of the stone walls. Compared to the rest of the Academy, the training room had fared pretty well in the Battle Of Mistral. Several of the school's smaller buildings had been destroyed completely. The training room wasn't the only place that had weathered the storm intact; Thanks to the efforts of the reunited Team RWBY, Mistral's CCTS Tower remained standing. It was a small victory, especially considering that global communication remained down for the loss of Beacon's tower, but it was hard-earned.

Weiss was alone in the training room, seated on the bench in one corner, staring at the floor before her. She'd cleared the mats and the abandoned dumbbells to give herself space to practise. It was, at least, a better training environment than her bedroom floor. She examined Myrtenaster's cylinder, double-checking the Dust supply in each. Deciding she could put off the attempt no longer, she stood, extended the sword, and created a Summoning Glyph. The intricate design of swords and snowflakes spun on the ground, spinning in an intricate pattern. Weiss examined the Glyph for any faults in its design, then, confident it had been formed properly, began focusing on her target. The Glyph began spinning faster. The bench she'd been seated on, along with a few other nearby items, began to tremble. Weiss gritted her teeth.

“Come on, come on,” She whispered.

The Glyph started glowing brighter. At the sight of this, Weiss focused all the harder. The pattern on the Glyph began to change shape rapidly, symbols in precise rings spun in between each other with blurring speed. The Glyph seemed almost on the verge of coming apart, each ring that composed it spinning on a slightly different axis. All at once, the Glyph shook itself apart and vanished. Weiss was left staring at the cold stone floor, her sword still pointed outward.

“Come on,” Weiss said, “This should work. I know this should work.”

She tried again. This time, she touched the tip of the sword to the floor, and created the Glyph a few feet away. Again, the Glyph spread out in flawless shape. Again, Weiss's concentration was met with the Glyph bustling to life, trying to draw out the ghostly spectre she was imagining. Again, the Glyph fell apart. Weiss cursed under her breath.

The door to the training room opened. Ruby Rose stepped in, glancing about the room until she caught sight of Weiss. She smiled, and walked in. Weiss sighed, and waved to her.

“I was wondering where you were,” Ruby said, “You could have told me you were leaving, I'd have gone with you.”

“You were having fun,” Weiss said, “And you- all of you- deserve a bit of celebration.”

“Weiss, with Mistral safe...” Ruby said, “We've been fighting for weeks. You haven't had a chance to... to mourn until now. I understand. I don't want you going through it alone.”

“I'm not mourning, Ruby,” Weiss said, sitting down on the bench, “Well, not really.”

“He was your father, Weiss,” Ruby said, sitting next to her, “Your relationship with him wasn't, well, it wasn't the best, but he was still your father.”

“I know.” Weiss said, “I didn't mean it to sound so cold. What I mean is that, right now, I'm mostly trying to figure out why he did what he did. What... hand I had in it.”

“Weiss, you can't blame yourself like that.” Ruby said, “That was his choice.”

“He ki- he did it a month after I left,” Weiss said, “I made a damn show of it right in the garden. I destroyed his mechs, and he begged me stay, and I jumped over the wall without a word to him. And then a month later, he... he made the choice because of what I did.”

“Weiss, he deployed those mechs to keep you there by force,” Ruby said, “You were escaping an abusive home. You told me what it was like there. Tell me you know leaving was the right choice.”

“It's not about whether-”

“Tell me you know.”

“Leaving was the right choice,” Weiss said, “I had to get out of there. But... maybe he...”

Weiss trailed off. Ruby seemed to consider speaking, but waited.

“He was abusive, and harsh, and domineering. But maybe I was wrong to think it was out of... malevolence. Maybe he was genuinely trying... but, just... he'd already lost Winter, and maybe he didn't know how to keep from losing me. With my mother's drinking, he was pretty much raising me alone, how was he supposed to-.”

Ruby suddenly wrapped Weiss in a hug. Weiss jumped slightly, but returned the hug.

“Nothing he did was your fault,” Ruby said, “Not the abuse, not his suicide. He was selfish, Weiss. And I can promise you, it wasn't heartbreak over you that made him... well. It was selfishness. If you leaving was part of it, it wasn't because he lost you. It was because he couldn't control you.”

Weiss could feel her breath catching in her throat. She could feel that she was on the verge of tears. She felt so many different things at once, it was almost disorienting. She felt shame for leaving home. Shame for feeling shame. Sorrow for what had happened to her father. Disgust for the sorrow. Guilt for the disgust.

“Come on,” Weiss said, standing, “Let's go find Blake and Yang. Maybe join the party.”

“Really?” Ruby asked, “We can talk if you want, you don't have to-”

“No, no, you're right,” Weiss said, “There's no sense sulking down here. We should be celebrating.”

“...Okay,” Ruby said, “But listen, if you ever want to talk about it-”

“Yeah, I know,” Weiss said, “Thank you, Ruby.”

They started walking towards the exit of the room. Ruby stopped and looked back at the cleared area of the floor in front of the bench.

“What were you trying to Summon?” She asked.

“It isn't important,” Weiss said, “I'll figure it out later.”

Ruby made an effort to press the subject, but Weiss was already hurrying out of the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Weiss sat in the backseat of the van, watching as the shining white buildings of Atlas's inner city went by. Beside her, on the driver's side, was Ruby. Ironwood and Mercury were in the front, with Ironwood driving. The atmosphere in the van was strange. It was quiet, and tense. If it had been team RWBY on the way to this mission, they'd have been going over the plan in detail, with Yang and Ruby throwing jokes and quips, keeping things light. Instead, the four of them had run over the plan the previous night, then again this morning before setting off, and the drive had then been almost silent. Weiss had, a couple times, glanced over at Ruby, giving her a slight shrug. Ruby had responded with a nod, silently agreeing on the awkwardness.

The van turned a corner, working slowly through the traffic of the city. The streets were crowded with drivers a pedestrians, all rushing about. People were shopping, socializing, going into and out of coffee shops and restaurants. It was hard to imagine that this was technically the same city where heavily armed soldiers were opening fire on civilians just 24 hours earlier. The people of Atlas didn't seem to care all that much what was going on in Mantle, as long as it stayed there. Weiss had been raised in this city. She'd been no stranger to a world where the suffering of the less fortunate was a topic reserved for dismissive banter over lavish dinners. Had she never left for Beacon, Weiss feared she would have never escaped that life. Even when her father had dragged her back to Atlas, the callousness and selfishness had become alien to her. Now, years later, it filled her with more disgust than ever.

“We're coming up on the tower now.” Ironwood reported.

Through the windscreen, the front of the Atlas CCTS Complex could be seen. The building greeted visitors with a sloping stone staircase up to the front doors of the massive, cold grey building. In the past, the only decoration the building had was the marble fountain in the middle of the staircase, a splash of beautiful masonry in the midst of the dull architecture. Nowadays, the facility was hung with the white and blue banners of the Schnee Government, all bearing the Schnee emblem. A massive holo-screen was projected across the front of the building, displaying more propaganda. The attack on Mantle was the top story. At the moment, the focus was on some tribute to the heroism of the Atlas soldiers who had been killed trying to protect the civilians.

Ironwood pulled up about a block down the street from the complex. He turned to Weiss and nodded.

“We'll be waiting for your signal,” He said, “Remember, it's supposed to look like we never got in. If you get stopped by anyone, send us a text immediately, and we'll start the diversion.”

“Got it,” Weiss said, before looking to Ruby, “Be safe.”

Weiss pulled her hood up, and slid the door of the van open. She stepped out onto the street, and closed the door behind her. Mercury stepped out of the passenger seat ahead of her. They glanced at each other, nodded, and started down the street. It had been decided that Mercury and Weiss would be the two to infiltrate the building. Mercury because he wasn't known by anyone to be connected to the resistance, and wouldn't draw attention, and Weiss because, if stopped, she could use her family name to talk her way through. Flynt had been keeping an eye on the news, and he'd reported something interesting. There was no footage and no mention of Weiss anywhere in the Mantle attack. Clips of Ruby fighting the military had actually been edited to remove Weiss. It seemed that Whitley didn't want the public knowing that there was any conflict in the Schnee family. What Whitley hoped to achieve by keeping Weiss's presence a secret was a mystery, and it made Weiss very nervous.

Weiss and Mercury walked up the front steps, towards the row of glass double-doors. They stepped through the bustling crowd, both avoiding eye contact with anyone. The front lobby of the building was filled with communications stations, information kiosks, and shops. Near the back of the lobby was a security station, and beyond that, the elevators. Mercury checked to see if Weiss was looking his way, then motioned with his head to one side of the room. There, nestled between a coffee shop and a rack of scroll charge cords, was a door labelled “Maintenance”. The two of them moved towards the door, glanced about to see if anybody was looking their way, then slipped through. They stepped into a long hallway, much less busy than the lobby. They were the only two in sight.

“Alright,” Mercury said, “Act casual.”

“If we're seen back here, it won't matter how casual we look.” Weiss said.

They started off down the hall. Weiss's eyes darted about, looking at every door, and the corner up ahead. Mercury was completely relaxed, striding forward with a cocky grin.

“Act like you're supposed to be somewhere, and you'd be surprised how few people give you a second look.” Mercury said.

They rounded the first corner on the right, revealing another stretch of corridor to a left turn. There was a janitor mopping the floor a few meters down the hall. He gave them a cursory glance, and Mercury gave him a quick wave. The janitor nodded, and looked back down to the floor, too disinterested to be suspicious. As they continued forward, Weiss looked at Mercury curiously.

“How long have been working with Ir-” Weiss began, before glancing back at the janitor, “with James?”

“A few months,” Mercury said, shrugging, “He came to me looking for information. I refused him, at first. I'll work for anybody who pays, but joining him, and like, three other guys? Against all of Atlas?”

“We're not fighting against Atlas,” Weiss said, “We're fighting to save it.”

“I'm sure,” Mercury said.

They rounded the corner. At the end of the corridor there was an elevator. Partway down the corridor, hanging from the ceiling, there was a security camera, turning back and forth. Mercury pointed to a billboard covered in safety posters on the opposite wall.

“Look where I'm pointing and pretend to be interested,” Mercury said.

Weiss looked where he was pointing and pretended to be interested. Weiss was very aware of the camera staring at her from just out of her periphery vision. She did not want to get identified again.

“You're a Huntress, I get it,” Mercury said, “You're fighting for humanity and all that crap. I'm not. Things start going south for your little resistance movement, I'm out.”

“Why would I expect loyalty from you?” Weiss asked.

“I didn't think you did, I just didn't want to leave it to implication.” Mercury said.

They were past the camera, and approaching the elevator. The doors suddenly slid open, revealing 4 soldiers. They stepped off the elevator and started down the hall, chatting about something.

“Crap.” Weiss whispered.

“Casual.” Mercury said, “Here.”

Mercury turned and opened up the first door on his left, stepping through it quickly, but with such smoothness that nobody would suspect that wasn't his destination all along. Weiss followed him in. The room was a workshop, filled with tools, spare parts, and workbenches. Weiss breathed a sigh of relief that they hadn't just attempted to discretely hide in a broom closet, or something. The soldiers outside went past, and Weiss heard a snippet of what one of them was saying.

“-killed 14 of our guys,” The soldier said, “I tell ya, I get the chance, I don't care if he's unarmed, if he surrenders, whatever. I'm gonna shoot that traitor in the head.”

Weiss and Mercury waited a few seconds, giving the soldiers ample time to distance themselves. Mercury noticed a jumpsuit hanging on a hook on the back of the door. He pulled a sleeve out of the way, and snatched off the ID tag. There was a bar code on the back of it meant for security scanners. Mercury looked it over carefully, then pocketed it.

“At least one of us is good at stealth,” Weiss noted.

“How do you think I hid in plain sight at Beacon for so long?” Mercury said.

“Don't think helping us here makes up for what you did.” Weiss said.

“Whatever.” Mercury said.

They opened the door, and stepped back into the hall. Seeing the way was clear, they headed to the elevator. The doors had closed, so Weiss hit the button to open them. The two of them waited for a few seconds, and then the door slid open again. They stepped on, and Mercury hit the button for the fourth floor. The master control console of the tower was on the sixth floor, but the only way to access it was to head to cross the fourth floor, through a few layers of security, then take one of the executive elevators up two floors. The elevator rumbled, and began moving upwards.

“Remember,” Mercury said, “We scope out the security, decide how we're going to slip through once the diversion starts, then we call Ironwood.”

“I'm not missing this chance to get that intel,” Weiss said, “If we need to fight our way through, I'm going for it. Just go straight for the elevator and don't stop for anything.”

“Fine with me,” Mercury said, “Just give me a signal before we go loud. And don't be too hasty. Our biggest advantage here is that we decide when the fight starts.”

The elevator dinged, and the doors opened to the fourth floor. Rows of desks and security gates down the middle of the room were flanked on either side by rows of server towers. Far away, on the other side of the room, were the executive elevators. Weiss had only a couple of seconds to notice how strangely empty the room was of people. The two of them stepped off the elevator. Immediately, the room was filled with a chorus of sharp clicks, as dozens of weapons were armed. Guards on either side of them levelled their weapons. Guards appeared from behind desks and server towers, weapons raised. They moved in, surrounding the two of them.

“Weiss Schnee!” One of them yelled, “Do not move!”

“Shit.” Mercury said.

 

* * *

 

Ironwood was seated in the driver's seat, idly tapping the wheel as he stared at the CCTS building. Ruby had crawled up to the passenger seat, and was looking between Ironwood and the building. Ironwood picked his scroll up off the dashboard and looked at it, apparently afraid he'd missed a message. Ruby glanced at her own scroll. There was nothing there. Ironwood tossed his scroll back on the dash and resumed staring at the tower.

“Nervous?” Ruby asked him.

“Maybe a little,” Ironwood said, “We should have heard something by now.”

“They might have been held up a bit,” Ruby said, “Weiss can handle herself. Have faith in her.”

“I'm sure she can,” Ironwood said, “But I was in this same position with her sister just a few days ago. Waiting on the sidelines for something to go wrong. That's how we ended up here.”

“We're not assaulting a military facility,” Ruby said, “It's the CCTS tower. People come here everyday, leave without incident. I bet Weiss can get to the console without even needing the diversion. I mean, it's the easiest place we could-”

Ruby stopped. Her eyes darted about. Ironwood looked over to her, curiously. Ruby looked out the windscreen at a military truck down the street. Soldiers were gathered outside of it, talking. They all had their weapons ready.

“What is it?” Ironwood asked.

“Where would we go other than here?” Ruby asked.

“What?”

“If Whitley knows Weiss in the city, he knows she's trying to save Winter,” Ruby said, “If he knows we don't know where she is, where would we go other than here?”

Ironwood thought for a moment, than grabbed his scroll. As he went to touch the screen, it rang in his hand. The display showed that Mercury was calling.

“Uh oh,” Ruby said.

Ironwood accepted the call, setting the scroll to speaker. Immediately, a cacophony of gunshots and impacts came from the scroll. There were sounds of soldiers shouting and explosions of Dust.

“Hey, Jimmy,” Mercury shouted, “Change of plans, we're going to need you to get in here right now!”

“What's going on?!” Ironwood demanded.

“We're bad at stealth, okay?” Mercury shouted, “We're all really bad at stealth!”

Outside, some of the soldiers next to the truck were putting fingers to their ear, listening to some communication. They all started advancing towards the building. Ruby threw open the door to the van and jumped out. She was charging towards the soldiers as soon as her feet hit the pavement.

“We're coming!” Ironwood said, standing and running for the back of the van.

“Take your time,” Mercury said, “We have a whole army in here to keep us entertained.”

The squad of soldiers began charging up the front steps of the building. One of them glanced to his left just in time to see Ruby rocketing towards them.

“Contact on our left!” He shouted, “It's Ru-”

He was cut off by a massive, spinning slice from Crescent Rose that hit him and the two soldiers on either side of him. Their armour was sliced into by the massive blade, but not penetrated. The three of them were sent flying through the air, while Ruby skidded to a halt. The other soldiers spun around on her and raised their weapons. Ruby used a burst of Speed to blink behind them. She hooked Crescent around one soldier's neck and pulled, twisting so that he was yanked off his feet and his head slammed into the ground. She leapt into the air, switching Crescent into rifle-form as she sailed over the remaining few soldiers. She put a shot into each of the soldiers still standing, cycling the bolt action and firing so quickly, it sounded like a burst of automatic fire. She landed on the other side of a pile of wounded and neutralized opponents.

Ruby scanned the street. There were more military vehicles pouring out of alleys. A transport truck opened up its back door and soldiers came spilling out of it. A group of soldiers were charging her from behind, all carrying heavy weapons, raising them to shoot. Ruby turned and braced herself to dodge the incoming barrage. There was an ear-splitting roar of gunfire, not from the soldiers, but from the direction of the van. The soldiers who weren't cut down instantly dove for cover. Ruby turned and saw Ironwood, lumbering out of the back of the van, carrying a massive gatling gun that he'd torn off one of the military vehicles from Mantle.

“Go!” Ironwood yelled, “I'll hold the line out here!”

A vehicle with a mounted gun screamed around the corner, bearing down on Ironwood. Ruby took off towards him, spring-boarded off a car's hood, and used Speed to shoot further into the air. She raised her rifle and sniped the gunner of the vehicle. As she fell back towards the ground, she shot through the windshield, nailing the driver. The vehicle began swerving out of control, but was still heading for Ironwood. He dropped the gatling gun, and held out his hands, bracing himself. The vehicle slammed into him, and stopped dead. The front end of it deformed against his hands. The vehicle was lifted off its wheels by the sudden stop, and slammed back down. One of the doors in the back opened, and a soldier stumbled out, dazed and shaking from the crash. Ironwood reached for his revolver, but the soldier collapsed before he could even draw it. He lifted the gatling gun back up.

Ruby rushed towards Ironwood, snapping off shots at the approaching forces as she went.

“Come on!” She shouted, “There's no need for a diversion now! We have to get inside!”

A squad of soldiers charged into the street, and opened fire on them. Ruby used Speed to jump between the incoming shots. While the soldiers' fire was drawn to the flurry of movement and the swirling cloud of rose petals Ruby's Semblance had produced, Ironwood returned fire with the gatling gun, cutting the soldiers down.

“Their best chance is still for us to keep the fighting out here!” Ironwood said, “We should-”

He was cut off by the roar of an engine behind them. The two of them turned to see a heavily armed airship banking around the corner of the tower. It fired retro-thrusters, almost blowing Ironwood and Ruby over as it came to a hover over the street. Missile batteries began to deploy out the sides of the craft. Ironwood hefted the gatling gun and raised it to the ship.

“Don't shoot!” Ruby yelled, “There are civilians everywhere! If it crashes, it'll-”

A barrage of missiles fired from the ship. Ironwood tossed the gatling gun aside and dove for cover. Ruby reached out to grab him, hoping to Speed them both to safety. His dive carried him just out of her reach. The missiles streaked straight at her. She turned and attempted to Speed away, only able to hope Ironwood would survive the attack. The missiles slammed into the ground behind her and exploded, catching her in the back. She was thrown, tumbling through the air, engulfed by the fireball.

 

* * *

 

Myrtenaster plunged straight through the leg of one of the soldiers. He recoiled in pain as Weiss pulled the sword free, letting him fall to the ground. She leapt through the air, firing a few Dust blasts in rapid succession as she flew. Her jump brought her to another soldier, who she sent flying with a dropkick before deftly landing on her feet. A soldier to one side of her raised his rifle and fired. Weiss spun her sword about, deflecting the shots out of the air. She stabbed the tip of her sword into the floor. Ice emanated from the tip, crossed the floor, and engulfed the soldier shooting at her. The ice encased his entire lower body, and his arms, trapping his rifle. He had less than a second to squirm helplessly before Mercury came flying in from one side, metal boot slamming into the ice formation. The ice shattered, sending the soldier tumbling away. Mercury landed, spun, and hit one of the falling spikes of ice with a roundhouse kick. It was propelled across the room, and hit one of the other guards in the neck.

A guard with a shotgun fired at Mercury from behind. Mercury backflipped, spun in the air, and fired a shot from his boot. The shot hit the guard in the shoulder, causing him to drop the shotgun. Mercury landed in front of him and immediately brought his knee up into the man's groin. Before he had a chance to keel over in pain, Mercury grabbed his head and slammed it down on his other knee. The guard crumpled to the ground.

“Let's go,” Mercury said, “We have maybe 5 minutes before they sever network connections.”

Weiss nodded. The two of them took off. They vaulted over the security desks, dodging shots coming from the few guards who remained in the room. They were quickly approaching the executive elevator. As they ran, the floor suddenly shook, accompanied by the incredibly loud sound of an explosion from some ways behind them. Weiss glanced back.

“Was that outside?” She asked, “What was that?”

“Sounded like it,” Mercury said, “I'm guessing Ironwood and Ruby are having as much fun as we are.”

As they hopped over the last row of desks, a security guard who's been hiding behind it popped up. He desperately tried to aim at Mercury with a pistol. Mercury twisted, kicking the gun out of his hands. He landed next to him, turning his momentum into a spin and leg-sweeping the guard. He popped back up and kicked the guard out of the air, sending him flying across the room. The guard went crashing clear through a row of server towers.

Weiss and Mercury reached the door of the elevator, and Weiss hit the button. Mercifully, the doors opened immediately. The two of them stepped in, and Weiss hit the sixth floor button. The few remaining soldiers fired at the door as it closed. Weiss and Mercury pushed themselves to either side of the elevator, and the bullets flying through the closing door struck the back wall. The doors clicked shut and the elevator began moving upwards.

“Well, this is off to a great start,” Mercury said.

“They knew we were coming,” Weiss said, “They'd never have this much security here otherwise.”

“The console isn't far from this elevator,” Mercury said, “We can still get the intel.”

“I just hope Ruby is okay,” Weiss said.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open to reveal the sixth floor. At the back of the room, a couple dozen meters away, was a massive console, covered in button panels. The room was filled with desks, computer stations, and more servers. The place seemed to have been evacuated in a hurry. There was only one man standing between Weiss and Mercury and the console. He was wearing a heavy suit of armour, with the framework of an exo-suit running along his limbs. Rather than a gun, he had a massive hydraulic power-fist on each hand. It was one of the anti-aura weapons Whitley had the military designing; a suit built to fight Huntsmen on their level. At the sight of the two of them, the soldier grinned, and slammed his fists together.

“I'm going for that console.” Weiss said.

“Suit yourself,” Mercury said, “I've got this guy.”

Weiss took off, charging straight at their lone opponent. Mercury chased after her. The soldier raised his arms, ready to attack. Weiss leapt into the air, aiming to sail right over his head. He pulled back his arm, the mechanical actuators humming and whirring, and swung to knock Weiss out of the air. Weiss rolled, blocked the punch with her sword, and spring-boarded off of it, his attack doing nothing but giving her momentum. Mercury performed a leap of his own, aiming for the soldier's face with a flying kick. The soldier dropped his arms down and blocked. The explosive impact knocked the soldier back a step, but he stayed standing. Mercury flipped backwards, landed, and went into a combat stance. The soldier laughed, and charged him. Behind him, Weiss was sprinting towards the console.

The soldier swung his fist at Mercury. Mercury dodged it with ease, popping back up beside him and driving a knee into his side. The soldier swung wildly with his other arm. Mercury bent backwards, letting his enemy's fist pass a few centimeters in front of his face. He jumped into the air and kicked the soldier just under his chin. The soldier stumbled back, steadied himself, and charged back in. He leapt into the air and tried to hit Mercury with a flying axe-kick. Mercury rolled under him, and his foot dented in the steel floor. Mercury took advantage of his position behind the soldier by bringing his foot up between his legs, nailing him right in the groin. With his other foot, he kicked him in the small of his knee, driving the soldier down. The soldier attempted to stand and turn around. Mercury spun and hit him in the side of the head with a roundhouse kick. The soldier was sent sprawling.

Weiss reached the console, and immediately began searching for where to start. She pulled out the flash drive Mercury had given her, and searched for the correct port. Finding one that looked right, she clicked the drive into it. The screen above the port lit up, windows closing and opening rapidly. A window appeared with the words _Execute? Y/N_ written across it. Weiss tapped Y. More windows opening and closing. Eventually, an image of Winter popped up. Weiss's heart skipped a beat before she realized it was just a personnel file. More files opened and closed in front of it. Weiss took a deep breath. She looked back. The soldier in the exo-suit was lifting Mercury over his head. He threw him through the air, only for Mercury to fire his boots, sending him flying back towards the soldier and kicking him in the face. Weiss turned back to the console and saw that the search had stopped. She quickly drew her scroll and plugged it into the console. She began downloading the files that the program had found onto it.

 

* * *

 

Ruby coughed and wheezed, trying to clear the smoke from her lungs. She opened her eyes on looked around. She could barely see anything for all the smoke. There were vehicles lying in burning heaps. Chunks of concrete torn from the surrounding buildings were lying in the street. Somewhere around her- she was too dazed to pick out a direction, but it sounded like it was coming from everywhere- civilians were screaming. Ruby gasped in shock. They hadn't just fired a few missiles, they'd fired everything. The street was chaos. Ruby struggled to her feet. Her Aura was just barely active. She caught sight of Crescent Rose on the ground. She breathed a sigh of relief to see her undamaged. She picked the scythe up, then transformed it into sword mode. She looked around, fighting the urge to not double over in pain. She heard the airship rumbling in the air above her. Something heavy hit the ground behind her. She turned around to see the massive shape of the same Colonel she'd fought in Mantle.

“Hello again,” He said.

Ruby swung Crescent at him, as hard as she could. His hand shot up and caught her wrist, stopping her dead. He punched her in the face, knocking her backwards into the burnt wreck of a car. Ruby bounced off the wreck and fell down to her hands and knees. She fought her way to her feet, desperately trying to raise her sword. The Colonel strode up to her, batted Crescent away with one hand, then grabbed Ruby by the side of the head. He pushed her head to the side, slamming it down on the hood of the wreck. Stars exploded into Ruby's vision, and she crumpled to the ground. The Colonel looked down at her, grinning in satisfaction. He tapped a few buttons on one of his rocket gauntlets, and it began humming as it powered up.

“Could take you alive, I suppose,” He said, “On the other hand, getting to be the guy who killed Ruby Rose...”

He reached down with his other hand, and grabbed Ruby by the neck. He lifted her up off the ground and held her at arm's length.

“Shame I couldn't kill you in a fair fight,” The Colonel said, “But, I've already beaten you in a fair fight, haven't I?”

He drew his fist back, ready to crush Ruby's skull in one hit. Ruby glared back at him. A gunshot rang out, and the Colonel was struck in the shoulder. More shots rang out, hitting the Colonel in the back. He stumbled forward, dropping Ruby. Ironwood stepped out of the smoke behind the Colonel, revolver ready. He looked like he'd taken just as much of a hit from the blast as Ruby. His clothes were shredded, showing the metal of his body underneath. The Colonel turned, shook himself off, and moved to charge at Ironwood. Ironwood fired the last shot in the cylinder, nailing the Colonel in the head. The Colonel fell backwards, his Aura was still up, but the shot had dazed him. Ironwood rushed forward and held out a hand to Ruby. Ruby took it and Ironwood pulled her to her feet. Ironwood began reloading his revolver.

“We should finish him,” Ironwood said.

“No time.” Ruby said, pointing behind Ironwood.

More soldiers were starting to make their way through the smoke. The smoke made the beams of their laser sights glow as they swept back and forth across the street. Ironwood and Ruby ducked behind a destroyed vehicle before they could be spotted.

“Use the smoke,” Ruby said, “Slip away.”

“What about Weiss and Black?” Ironwood asked.

“Once we're in the clear, we'll call them,” Ruby said, “Make sure they get out safe.”

Ironwood pointed to the opening of an alleyway nearby. Ruby nodded, and they both snuck towards it. They slipped into the alley just as the soldiers arrived at the spot they'd been hiding. As Ruby slipped away, she noticed the Colonel standing back up.

 

* * *

 

Weiss pulled her scroll and the flash drive from the console. She pocketed them, then hurried back to Mercury. He was standing over the soldier in the exo-suit, who was on his knees in front of Mercury. He was beaten and bloodied by the fight. The metal parts of the suit were still twitching, despite hanging off of him in pieces. Mercury was staring down at him with a cocky grin. He reached down and grabbed the soldier by the back of the head. He put the soldier's head between his thighs, and squeezed tight. With a twist, he snapped the soldier's neck, and let his body collapse. He looked up at Weiss, who was looking at him in disgust.

“What?” He asked.

“I've got it,” Weiss said, “We should get out of here.”

“We should probably take a different way out,” Mercury said, “Go out a different exit.”

They walked to a different elevator, one a short distance away. Mercury hit the button, and the doors opened.

“Did you find her?” Mercury asked.

“I think so,” Weiss said, “I got a lot of data. We'll have to go over it later.”

They stepped into the elevator, and Mercury hit the button. This one went down to the third floor. The doors slid closed. As the elevator descended, Weiss scroll began to ring. She pulled it out and looked at the screen. She smiled.

“It's Ruby.” She said.

 


	9. Chapter 9

Two Atlesian soldiers rushed down the alleyway nestled in between the CCTS facility and the office complex next to it. Behind them, the street was still filled with smoke from the missile barrage. They rushed up to a small metal door on the side of the CCTS building, rifles raised. The soldier in the lead checked the handle and found the door locked. He glanced to his squadmate and then reached for his radio.

“East alleyway exit is clear,” He reported into the radio, “They haven't come this way.”

“Understood,” Their commanding officer replied, “We think they're still inside. Guard that entrance. Remember, one of the hostiles is Weiss Schnee. She needs to be taken alive at all costs. Her accomplice is unidentified. Take him alive or dead.”

“Yes Sir,” The soldier said, before lowering the radio.

“The two of us?” His partner asked, “Against two Aura-users?”

“What are you scared of?” The first guy asked, “They've got a guy in an EXO-08 suit guarding this place. If the hostiles come this way, they're gonna come out limping. I am gonna knock the princess out with the butt of my rifle, shoot her Huntsman buddy in the head, and bag myself a promotion.”

A voice came through the radio.

“This is team 4! Main control room is secure, no sign of the hostiles! Oh shi- the EXO-08 unit is dead!”

The two soldiers looked at each other. They turned and raised their rifles at the door, the tips of the barrels shaking. Almost a full minute ticked by. Eventually, the guy in the lead lowered his weapon, stepped forward, and put his ear to the door. His squadmate raised an eyebrow at him. Eventually, he stood up straight, and shrugged.

“You know,” He said, “They still might not come this way.”

The door exploded open, striking the soldier with brutal force. He was thrown across the alley and slammed into the opposite wall. Mercury lowered his foot back to the ground and stepped out of the door. The other soldier stumbled back in terror and raised his rifle. Weiss stepped through the door and flicked her sword at him. A chunk of ice formed over the end of the rifle, blocking the barrel. The soldier looked down at his disabled weapon, not sure what to do about it. Looking back to the two of them, he dropped his rifle and grabbed for his radio. In an instant, Mercury closed the distance to him and struck him in the chest with his knee. The soldier fell to the ground still gripping the radio. Mercury grabbed the soldier's hand, and kicked his arm, snapping it. The soldier cried out in pain as Mercury wrenched the radio from his hand, then kicked him in the head, knocking him out. He smashed the radio against the wall next to him.

Weiss stepped out into the alley, and closed the door behind her. Mercury's kick had destroyed the latch, so she used her sword to spray a formation of ice in its place. She looked up and down the alley, and caught sight of the billowing smoke towards the front of the building. There was a cacophony of sirens and shouting coming from the street.

“What the hell happened?” She demanded.

“They were waiting for us,” Came Ironwood's voice from behind her.

Weiss turned and saw Ironwood and Ruby approaching. Ruby's clothes were scuffed and covered in soot. Ironwood's clothes were in tatters. They'd crept into the alley from the other direction, having slipped away from the street and then doubled around.

“I guess they were willing to go all out trying to stop us,” Ruby said.

“How many-” Weiss began, “How many people were...”

At this Ruby looked to the ground, unable to answer.

“A few dozen, at least,” Ironwood said.

“We should probably get out of here,” Mercury said.

“No, we need to...” Weiss stammered, staring at the smoke, “We should go help...”

“They'll just kill more people trying to kill you.” Mercury said.

“Weiss, we have to leave,” Ruby said, “I hate it, but we have to.”

With great reluctance, Weiss began walking to them, away from the chaos. Mercury followed after her.

“How could he do this?” Weiss asked, “How could he justify this?”

“Because,” Ironwood said, “He's going to blame it on us.”

“We need a car,” Mercury said, “If the idea is to not draw attention, we're not going to do it looking like this.”

They exited the alley, onto the street that ran past the back of the facility. People were running about in panic and confusion, fleeing from the chaos one street over. A few people caught sight of the four of them, and either stared in shock or started fleeing faster. Weiss glanced down the street and saw a group of police approaching, attempting to calm the crowd. She pointed them out to the others. Mercury responded by motioning towards a van parked by the side of the street. Its windows were tinted. Ruby hurried over to it and checked the door, finding it locked. Mercury walked over, reached down and raised his pant leg, and produced a slim jim from a cubby hole in his prosthetic. He deftly slipped the metal rod into the door, and unlocked the door. He pulled open the door and clicked the button to unlock all the doors.

“I'm driving,” He said to Ruby, motioning towards the backseat, “Everybody in.”

They got into the car as quickly as they could, closing the doors just as the cops arrived. Ruby, Weiss, and Ironwood stared out the windows while Mercury reached under the steering wheel and yanked out the wiring of the ignition. Ironwood was staring at the police, ready to jump back out and resume the fight if their attention was drawn to the van. Ruby and Weiss were both staring nervously at the civilians running for their lives. If another fight started here, it wouldn't end before the military joined in, and more of these people would die.

“Why are you driving?” Ironwood asked Mercury.

“Because I'm the only one who know how to be discrete, clearly,” Mercury said, touching the stripped ends of wires together.

The van rumbled to life, and Mercury took hold of the wheel, leaving the wires hanging. He put the van in gear and tapped the horn, scattering the civilians in the vehicle's path. They pulled out into the street, and drove past the cops. One of the officers looked after the van and waved after it. Ruby tensed up, but Mercury kept driving, and the officer was quickly distracted by the frantic crowd. They pulled down the street and were gone.

A few minutes later, the van came within sight of the wall between Atlas and Mantle. Just two days before, the wall had been meagerly defended at the checkpoints that passed through it. Now, there were soldiers posted at intervals across its entire length. Unmanned drones buzzed over the wall, scanning both sides. Above those, an occasional bullhead flew over.

“They weren't lying about increasing security,” Weiss said, “They've added even more since we crossed this morning.”

“A show of force,” Ironwood said, “I've made that mistake before.”

“How are we going to get through?” Weiss asked.

“Alright, Mercury,” Ruby said, “Ramming speed.”

Weiss looked over to Ruby, and for just a moment Ruby caught the hint of a smile. Ruby grinned in satisfaction, then returned her attention to the wall.

“If we can't go over it...” Ironwood mused, “Black, turn right here. I know a place.”

Mercury turned, and they drove down the street that ran alongside the wall. They drove in silence for a short while, until Ruby could take it no more. She reached up from the back seat, and poked the power button for the radio. The radio hummed to life and began broadcasting the Atlas Radio Network.

“-still struggling to lend aid to those injured in the blast,” Came a woman's voice, “Officials have confirmed that all Aura-users involved in the attack have been killed. The bombing appears to have been a last resort when they failed to overcome the superior equipment and training of Atlas security personnel.”

Ruby and Weiss looked at each other, each knowing what the other felt, but helpless to say anything.

“A speech by the President-General is expected later today. In the meantime, the government is calling for calm. Atlas security will be performing routine searches for anyone connected to these extremists. Meanwhile, thanks to the men and women who defended the CCTS tower with their lives, communications services will continue uninterrupted.”

“We have to expose all of this,” Weiss said, “The world doesn't know what's really going on in Atlas.”

“Not since your brother shut down cross-tower communication,” Mercury said, “The Atlas tower still does its part to keep the network up, but it doesn't transmit any unsanctioned communication from Atlas to anywhere else.”

“And here I was looking forward to telling Yang you're still alive.” Ruby said.

“Could we undo that?” Weiss asked, “Open up communication again and show the whole world what Whitley is doing?”

“We'd need to hit the tower again,” Mercury said, “I don't know about you, I mean, I had a great time, but Red and Tin Man just got their asses kicked, so-”

“Could we do it?” Ruby asked.

“We'd need to give a really good hacker a few hours,” Mercury said, “And we'd have to stop them cutting network connections. They're bombing their own city, think they're not willing to take the entire CCTS down to protect their secrets?”

“We're alone in this,” Ironwood said, “Until their regime is destroyed.”

They pulled into a small residential area, with rows of small houses lined up against the wall. Since the wall went up, properties near Mantle had only lessened in value. The houses on this block were a far cry from the rest of the shining city, but they still looked much better than the dilapidated housing on the other side of the wall. Ironwood directed Mercury to one house in particular, though it didn't stand out in any way from the others. Mercury pulled into the driveway, which lead up to a garage connected to the house. Ironwood waited a few seconds, then reached over and put his hand to the horn. He gave the horn two quick beeps, then a long one, then one more short. Several seconds passed, and then the garage door opened. Ironwood nodded to Mercury and they pulled in, the door quickly closing behind them.

The four of them got out, and Ruby looked about the garage curiously. The door into the house opened, and a man who looked to be in his early forties appeared. He was well-dressed, and his hair was thinning.

“General,” He said, “Good to see you again.”

“Its just Ironwood,” Ironwood replied, “Good to see you, Foreman.”

Foreman turned to the others.

“Welcome to my home,” He said, “Please come in. I assume you'll be needing the tunnel?”

Ruby and Weiss introduced themselves. Mercury gave the man a quick nod. Foreman lead them inside. They passed through the house, through the kitchen and into the living room. A middle-aged woman sat on the sofa, watching the television. She looked up as they entered.

“Good afternoon,” She said, “Shall I put on coffee? Oh my.”

Ironwood had just stepped in, his bare chest catching her off guard.

“Good afternoon, Helen,” Ironwood said, “We can't stay, we need to get back to Mantle as soon as possible.”

Weiss and Ruby glanced at each other quizzically. Ruby shrugged a little.

Helen glanced towards the TV. The news was already showing footage of the destroyed street.

“That was you?” She asked.

“No,” Weiss said, “That was them.”

“Yes, of course,” She said, “Every atrocity they commit, they shift the blame. Whether to you, or to us.”

Foreman stepped over to a bookshelf in one corner. He lifted up on end of it and pulled it away from the wall. A small hole was revealed, an alcove in the wall with a ladder leading down.

“You're welcome to stay a while,” Foreman said, “But they'll be looking for you, I imagine.”

“We have to go,” Ruby said, “Sorry.”

The four of them, one by one, climbed onto the ladder and went down. At the bottom was a room which looked to have once been part of the basement. The door had since been walled off, and the room given a more discrete entrance. The only other way out of the room was a tunnel, leading underground in the direction of the wall. Within the room, there was a table, adorned with cloth, candles, burning incense, and a small shrine at the center of it. Weiss stared at the religious image, briefly in confusion, then eventually understanding. Foreman came down the ladder after them.

“We'll have to catch up some time, General,” Foreman said, “In less trying times.”

“Thank you for your help,” Ruby said, “To hide something like this...”

“Might as well do what we can to help those in need,” Foreman said, “I mean, if the government finds the shrine, we're dead anyway, so... you know, in for a penny.”

The team departed down the tunnel. Foreman waved goodbye and then headed back up the ladder. Ironwood reached for a small wire hanging from the ceiling and gave it a tug. An electric cable strung up along the ceiling, with light-bulbs hanging from it at intervals, clicked on. The hastily put together lighting system dimly lit the dank, cramped tunnel. The four of them had to go single file to get through.

They emerged from the tunnel into the back room of an old liquor store in Mantle. Travel was much easier in Mantle than it was in Atlas. They arrived back at the safe house about half an hour later.

“Well,” Ruby said, “I got caught in an explosion today, so I'm gonna go take a shower.”

“I'm going to get started on this,” Weiss said, holding up her scroll, “There must be something on here that will lead us to Winter.”

The four of them went their separate ways into the safehouse. Weiss found herself seated at the table in the living room, thumbing through files. Much of it was useless; exchanges between security personnel and propagandists on the difficulties of two different members of the Schnee family being Aura-users. As she skimmed a report on anti-aura weaponry, Mercury wandered into the room, holding a couple of beers. He saw Weiss, walked over, and sat down across the table from her and set the beers down.

“I don't drink beer,” Weiss said, barely looking up.

“They're both for me,” Mercury said, twisting the top off one.

“You're still here, huh?” Weiss asked, “I thought you said you'd bail if things went badly.”

“What, today?” Mercury asked, “Today was fun. I had a grand old time.”

“People died.” Weiss said.

“People always die,” Mercury said, “It's what most people are good at.”

“I swear I still can't tell if you're actually that much of an asshole, or if it's just a bit you do,” Weiss said.

“If it's a bit, it's a good one, right?” Mercury quipped.

“You don't have to do it all the time.” Weiss said.

Mercury chuckled, and took a long swig. He looked around the room, which was unusually empty.

“What do you want?” Weiss asked.

“Hmm?” Mercury replied.

“I know you're not the most sociable person,” Weiss said, “You came to talk to me because you want something.”

“Well, maybe,” Mercury said, “Maybe I just wanted to talk to you, because it'd be a more interesting conversation than with most people.”

“I don't have much interest in conversation with you,” Weiss said.

“You know, I thought about bringing it up in the elevator, at the Tower,” Mercury said, “Didn't seem like the right time. But, I don't know, we just have a lot in common.”

This made Weiss look up from her scroll. She eyed Mercury with suspicion.

“We have nothing in common,” Weiss said.

“We're both highly skilled fighters,” Mercury said, “We both tend to be the smartest person in the room, we're both children of abuse...”

“Wait, really?” Weiss asked.

“Oh yeah, I guess I never told you guys about that,” Mercury said, “Yeah, my father wasn't really a great guy.”

“Well, that's surprising,” Weiss said, “You seem like such a model of a healthy upbringing.”

“I know, right?” Mercury said, so casually that Weiss was completely unable to determine whether he caught the sarcasm, “And now, both our fathers are dead, so...”

“So, what?” Weiss asked. She was not liking the way this conversation was going.

“How did your father die?” Mercury asked.

Weiss pinched her lips together. She swallowed a lump of discomfort that had appeared quite suddenly in her throat.

“He committed suicide,” Weiss said, “You know that. It was in the papers.”

“Yeah,” Mercury said, “He killed himself. Happened right after you left home, wasn't it?”

“Mercury.” Weiss said, quietly but forcefully, “Choose your words very carefully.”

“Weiss, I'm not trying to piss you off, I swear,” Mercury said, “This isn't me doing the asshole bit. Look, just because I don't like people very much, doesn't mean I don't understand them. And I can't shake the feeling that you blame yourself.”

“And why would you care?” Weiss demanded, slightly louder than she'd intended or expected, “What business is it of yours?”

“Because I kicked my father in the chest so hard his lungs collapsed, and then broke his neck between my thighs, and it was the best day of my life.” Mercury said.

Weiss froze, her train of thought abruptly derailed. Mercury and her stared back and forth for an awkward moment.

“And...?” Weiss eventually got out.

“And nothing has ever felt as good as freeing myself from his abuse,” Mercury said, “And it struck me as odd that you seem to be ashamed of doing the same.”

Weiss looked at Mercury in confusion. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Eventually, she looked down and pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Whitley took power because father died...” She started to say.

“And everything he did, _he_ did. I walked away from Cinder, and Emerald, and Salem. What they did after that, is not on me.”

“How can you do that?” Weiss asked, “Pretend you're not responsible for anything?”

“I don't,” Mercury said, “I've made mistakes, Weiss. I waited. If I'd acted sooner... maybe I could have saved my mom. Wish to Hell I did. But I didn't get drunk and beat her to death, he did. I won't spend my life punishing myself for his actions.”

Weiss stared at him. She genuinely didn't know how to respond. Mercury downed the remainder of his beer, set down the bottle, and picked up the second.

“Well, that got realer than I was expecting,” Mercury said, “I was really just curious about the whole angsty hero thing you've got going on. I remember that being more Blake's thing. I was joking about both of these being mine, by the way, do you want this?”

He held out the beer. Weiss held up and hand and shook her head. Mercury shrugged and cracked the bottle open. Weiss returned to her scroll. She skimmed through a few more files, until one grabbed her attention. She picked the scroll up off the table and read carefully. Mercury raised an eyebrow.

“Alright.” Weiss said.

 


	10. Chapter 10

 

Weiss, Ruby, Ironwood, and Mercury were gathered in the upstairs hall. Ironwood was holding Weiss's scroll, his eyes scanning the lines of text on the screen. Weiss waited as he read, giving Ruby a glance every now and then. Mercury was a little further down the hall, still taking swigs of his beer.

“It doesn't say for sure that she's there,” Ironwood said.

“I think it's sure enough,” Weiss said, “Look-”

She took the scroll back. She swiped down on the screen, bringing the first lines of the email back into view. It was an e-mail from some high-ranking member of Whitley's security team to another.

“'While I don't question Mr. Schnee's motives,'” Weiss read, “'I must express concern over his decisions for the construction of the holding cell on the premises. Even if it is built specifically for one or both of his sisters, keeping a powerful Aura-user in the same building where the President-General sleeps is inadvisable regardless of their relationship to him.'”

“The mansion,” Ruby said.

“He's keeping her at the mansion,” Weiss nodded, “Of course he would.”

Weiss sighed. The idea of going back to the Schnee Manor was something she'd been dreading. Yet, somehow, it had felt almost inevitable since she arrived in Atlas. Just imagining going back filled her with weird feelings. It wouldn't feel the same as it had when her father was alive, that much was obvious, but past that, she couldn't predict at all what she would feel. How could a place she'd spent so much time in seem so familiar and yet so alien?

“So, you're going to assault one of the most heavily-guarded buildings in all of Atlas?” Mercury asked, “We barely managed to escape from the CCTS. How are you going to pull that off?”

“It was my home,” Weiss said, “Well, it was where I lived. I know the layout, I know every hidden path. I can get in. And we'll have Winter with us on the way out.”

“It'll still be risky,” Ruby said.

“That's why I'm going alone,” Weiss said, “I'll be able to-”

“No.” Ruby said, “No. That's not how we do things, and you know that. I'm going with you.”

“Whitley still wants me alive,” Weiss said, “But he's tried to kill you twice. It's too dangerous.”

“If you're going, I'm going,” Ruby said, “That's the end of it.”

Weiss and Ruby looked at each other for a moment. Ruby was smiling at Weiss confidently, and Weiss could tell there was no use arguing.

“Alright,” Weiss said.

Ironwood spoke up.

“I'm coming t-”

“No,” Weiss said, “You got blown up this morning. Your Aura is barely back, you're not in fighting shape.”

Ironwood was stunned into silence for a moment by the abruptness of Weiss's response. He looked between her and Ruby.

“My Aura is fine,” Ironwood said, “I'm not afraid to-”

“You've been in the mansion before, but you don't know it like I do,” Weiss insisted, “You could get us caught. And if it turns into a fight, you'll be killed.”

Ruby looked at Weiss in confusion. Weiss gave her a slight shrug. Ruby looked between Weiss and Ironwood, thought for a moment, then gave Weiss a quick nod of understanding.

“They're trying to be polite,” Mercury whispered, a hand to one side of his mouth, though Ruby and Weiss were between him and Ironwood, and could clearly hear him, “Because they don't want to tell you you're bad at stealth.”

“Alright,” Ironwood said, “Alright, fine. I just...”

“What?” Weiss asked.

“I... don't want to send someone else to be captured,” Ironwood said.

“I'll be fine,” Weiss said, “Ruby, Winter and I will all be back here by tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Mercury asked.

“They know we attacked the CCTS to get Winter's location,” Weiss said, “They might know that we have it now. We're getting her back tonight, before they have a chance to move her.”

“It's risky,” Ironwood said, “But you're right. It's our best chance at getting her back. While you're there... what happens if you find Whitley?”

Weiss was suddenly completely unsure of how to respond. She opened her mouth, but was only able to shrug.

“We'll deal with him,” Ruby said, “Talk some sense into him, or beat it into him, if we have to.”

“...okay,” Ironwood said, “Well, then, we should get ready. Go stock up on Dust and ammo. I'll find Coal and get the radio equipment set up.”

Weiss nodded. She turned and walked down the hall towards the stairs, passing Mercury.

“What about you, Mercury?” Weiss asked, “You coming?”

“Sorry,” Mercury said, “Attacking the CCTS was one thing, but attacking an insane dictator's mansion? Have fun with that.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Ruby said.

Weiss and Ruby headed for the stairs together, with Weiss in the lead. As they reached the top of the staircase, Ironwood spoke.

“Ruby.” He said.

Ruby stopped and looked back. Weiss started down the stairs. Ironwood noticeably waited to speak until Weiss was down the stairs and out of earshot.

“Weiss... is looking for a way to spare her brother,” Ironwood said, “I understand that. But you know what to do if you see him, don't you?”

Ruby stared back at Ironwood. After a long, silent moment, she turned, and walked down the stairs.

 

* * *

 

The sun was just reaching the horizon, casting an orange glow over the white marble of the Schnee Manor. Weiss and Ruby were creeping towards the massive estate from behind, through the wooded area of snow-dusted pines it sat at the edge of. They kept a careful eye on the skies above them as they approached, trying to avoid being noticed by the occasional bullhead that buzzed over. As they drew closer, the estate grew until it towered above them. Eventually, they crept between the last of the trees, and the high stone outer wall came into view. Weiss looked between the wall and the manor behind it, gritting her teeth. Ruby put a hand on her shoulder.

“I'm alright,” Weiss said, “I can do this.”

“I know you can,” Ruby said, “I'm going to get a better look.”

She jumped into the air, and grabbed the branches of the trees next to her. The branches of the pine shook, sending a small cascade of snow drifting down. Ruby clambered up the branches until she was perched higher than the wall. She drew Crescent Rose, unfolded it into rifle-form, and peered through the scope, scanning the area.

“Right over this wall is the garden,” Weiss said, “Then a small courtyard... with a fountain. Then the house.”

“I see it,” Ruby said, “Your garden has seen better days. There are some guards in the courtyard... I don't think they'll see us from there.”

“Over the wall, then?” Weiss asked.

Ruby dropped down from the tree, landing next to Weiss. She swung Crescent about and collapsed it.

“You said there was a tunnel entrance?” She asked.

“It looks just like a wooded bin, for soil,” Weiss said, “With a slanted door. But it leads all the way to the library.”

“We're going in the same way you left,” Ruby noted.

“Yes,” Weiss said, “That occurred to me.”

They both ran forward, and jumped, soaring over the wall without effort. They dropped down into the Schnee Estate's gardens, quickly taking cover behind a greenhouse. Weiss looked around. All of the plants were withered. The greenhouse's glass was dirtied and fogged over, obscuring the rotted plants and empty pots inside. The once immaculately maintained pathways were now strewn with dirt and aged leaves. The gardens didn't look like they'd had a hint of maintenance for quite some time.

“My mother loves this garden,” Weiss whispered, “She wouldn't let this happen to it.”

Ruby crept to the corner of the greenhouse, and peered around it. She beckoned to Weiss with her hand, and then snuck forward. Weiss followed. They slipped between the bushes, benches, and fences, drawing closer to the house. Eventually, Weiss tapped Ruby on the shoulder, and pointed to a wooden bin. It looked no different than any other decrepit part of the garden. Ruby nodded, and they headed towards it.

Reaching the bin, Weiss saw that the old padlock on the door had been replaced. She drew her sword and looked about. Sure that the coast was clear, she charged the blade with Fire Dust, and stabbed it through the padlock. Ripping the twist chunk of destroyed metal from the latch, she pulled the door open. Ruby dropped down inside, and Weiss slipped in after her, gently closing the door behind her. They were plunged into darkness, each only barely able to make out the shape of the other. Weiss put her hand to one wall and began feeling her way down the tunnel.

“I was worried he'd have collapsed the tunnel,” Weiss said, “I guess he assumed I was never coming back.”

Ruby followed after her. The two of them walked in silence for a short time. As Ruby walked alongside Weiss, she could hear her mumbling to herself, just barely perceptible. Ruby listened close, trying to make out what she was saying.

“Out into the library, east corridor, down to the basement,” Weiss was saying, “Back out of the basement, east corridor, back into the tunnel.”

“Are we sure she's in the basement?” Ruby asked.

Weiss seemed to jump ever so slightly. It seemed she didn't realize Ruby could hear her.

“Where else would he keep her?” She asked, “Where else would you build a holding cell?”

“What if she's not there?” Ruby asked.

“Tear the entire mansion apart looking for her.”

“Alright, good plan.”

They neared the end of the tunnel. There wasn't a door, just the back of a bookcase that could be pushed outwards. Weiss moved forwards, before Ruby gently took hold of her arm.

“We're not going to see him,” Ruby said, “We're here to rescue your sister, not confront your brother. However this ends, it's not going to happen tonight.”

Weiss looked at her, bit her lip, and nodded. She stepped up to the bookcase, and placed her hand on it. She pushed just enough to open it the tiniest crack. She peered out, and looked back and forth across the room. Seeing no one, she pushed the bookcase open further and slipped through. Ruby followed after her. Ruby gently closed the bookcase until the hidden door clicked shut, and they were inside the Schnee Manor. Weiss put a finger to her lips, and then pointed in the direction of the east corridor. They crept forward, edging along the wall beneath the balcony above. At the sound of footsteps on the balcony, they both froze. It sounded like at least two people, marching side by side. The walked along the length of the balcony and then turned, mercifully heading down the hall instead of down the stairs.

Weiss and Ruby crept out from under the balcony, and past the staircase upwards. Ruby looked between Weiss and the staircase and gave a questioning shrug. Weiss shook her head and pointed ahead, to the door past the stairs. Ruby nodded and they continued. They went through the door, and turned into the east corridor. The corridor was long, lined with doors on one side, and large plate glass windows on the other. If anybody came out of any of the doors while the two of them were traversing the corridor, staying stealthy could be impossible. They both hurried, moving as quickly as they could without making any noise. Weiss heard something up ahead and put her hand up to stop Ruby. She listened carefully for a second, then quickly grabbed the knob of the door to her right. She pulled it open and ushered Ruby inside, just as another door further down the hall opened. Weiss followed Ruby into the room and pulled the door shut, stopping it just before it slammed and clicking it shut quietly.

The two of them stood in the room in silence. Weiss put her ear to the door and listened. A large group of people had exited the room ahead, and were heading down the corridor in their direction. They passed by the door Weiss and Ruby were hiding behind, and Weiss heard somebody speaking.

“Every part of the test run has to come together perfectly,” The man was saying, “I want you to rerun the numbers on the ignition sequence, and the timing of the charges.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow. She waited for the group to continue down the corridor and around the corner. She turned back to Ruby.

“What do think?” She whispered.

“I think if my entire house was inside your house, my roof wouldn't touch your ceiling,” Ruby whispered back.

Weiss permitted herself a small grin at this, then turned her attention back to the door. She couldn't hear anybody outside. She cracked the door open, and peered out. The two of them slipped back into the corridor, and again hurried to reach the end of it. Weiss pointed to a turn up ahead, and they both crept around it. Down the next short hallway was the top of a staircase, leading down. The staircase was wide, and turned to the right, such that the bottom couldn't be seen from the top. They started down it, stepping as lightly as possible. The bottom of the staircase revealed itself, opening into a hallway that went in either direction.

Weiss peaked her head around the edge, and quickly pulled back. There were two guards down the hall, armed with automatic rifles, standing at attention on either side of one door in particular. Weiss looked again, exposing herself as little as she could. The door was reinforced, and had a keypad lock on it. Weiss couldn't remember what that room had once been, but the door was new. Between that and the guards, she could guess that that was where Winter was. She turned to Ruby.

“Let's see how quietly we can do this,” She said.

Ruby nodded, and without a word, transformed into a cloud of rose petals. The cloud blew past Weiss and swirled down the hall towards the guards. The two of them looked at the approaching petals in confusion. The petals began swirling back together in front of the nearest guard. Weiss aimed her sword around the corner and fired a blast of Gravity Dust at the feet of the guard behind him. As the second guard was blasted into the air, Ruby reformed in front of the first guy. She deftly twisted the rifle out of his hands, thrust the butt of it into his throat, then jumped, driving a knee into the side of his head. As he fell, she stepped past him, grabbed the ankle of the second guard and yanked him out of the air. She flipped him over her shoulder and slammed him down on top of the first guard. Weiss ran to meet Ruby, just before the door opened beside her. The guard inside the room had opened it, looking to see the cause of the commotion. Ruby spun, and brought her foot up into his crotch. He keeled over, leaning forward, and Weiss jumped at him, landing a flying kick to his temple that propelled his head into the door frame.

Ruby jumped over the unconscious pile of bodies laying in the middle of the doorway, and landed in the room. There was one guy still inside, rising from the desk he was seated at, raising a phone to his ear. In a single motion, Ruby drew Crescent Rose, unfurled it into sword mode, and threw it. It flew past the guard, slicing through the coiled cord connecting the phone to its base. The guard jumped back in shock, as the sword embedded itself in the wall. Ruby jumped at him and nailed him in the face with a roundhouse kick, knocking him back into the wall, then down to the ground unconscious.

“Well,” Ruby said, “Pretty quiet for us, anyway.”

Ruby looked around the room, as Weiss stepped in. Across the room from the desk, one section of the wall was made of reinforced glass. On the other side of it was a small cell. Winter was laying on the cot inside, staring back at Ruby. Instead of her usual military attire, she was wearing a simple white jumpsuit. Ruby had jolted her out of sleep by crashing into the room.

“Hey, Wint-” Ruby started.

“Turrets, turrets!” Winter shouted, pointing at the ceiling.

Ruby looked up just in time to see two automated gun turrets descending from the ceiling. She used Speed to dash over to her sword, and wrenched it from the wall. Snapping it into rifle-form, she fired, cycled the action, and fired again. Each shot ripped through one of the turrets, destroying them. Scanning the ceiling for more turrets, Ruby saw the security cameras. As she shot the first, Weiss stepped through the door and fired a blast of ice at the second. Winter rushed across the room to the glass wall of the cell.

“Winter!” She said, “Are you alright?”

“Weiss!” Winter responded, “I was expecting you to show up eventually. I'm fine, but we need to get out of here.”

“Can we break through this glass?” Weiss asked.

“No, that'd make too much noise,” Winter said, “We're already on a timer since you destroyed the cameras. That desk should have door controls.”

Ruby searched the desk. Next to the computer, there was a small control panel with three buttons. Other than being red, green, and black, they were unlabelled. Ruby shrugged, looking at the two Schnee sisters for help.

“Just try something!” Weiss said.

Ruby hit the green button at the top. For a second, nothing seemed to happen. Then a vent inside the cell popped open, and began spewing a sickly green gas.

“Oh, crap,” Winter said, quickly holding the end of one sleeve over her mouth and nose, “Try something else!”

Ruby hit the black button. An alarm began to sound in the room.

“Oops,” Ruby said, “Oh, this is bad.”

“Oh, to Hell with this,” Weiss said.

She swung her sword about, place a massive Summoning Glyph in the middle of the room. The blaring of the alarm was distracting, but she forced herself to ignore it, and concentrate. A massive arm appeared from the Glyph, stretching out into the tiny room. The disembodied arm punched the glass, causing Winter to jump back. The green gas filling the cell was swirling around her. The arm struck the glass a couple of times, to no avail. Eventually, it opened its hand, reached up, and stabbed its fingers into the stone where the glass met the ceiling. With a horrific metal whine, it tore the entire glass frame from the wall. The arm vanished, and the glass collapsed to the ground. Gas was sent billowing through the room, and Winter rushed out to meet them.

“Come on, we have to go,” Weiss said, “We'll catch up later.”

The three of them ran to the door, stepping over the unconscious guards. Weiss looked back at the room, which was slowly filling with gas. She drew a small vial of Fire Dust from a pouch on her hip, and looked at it.

“What do you think are the chances of that gas being flammable?” She asked.

She slammed the end of the vial against the wall, cracking the glass and shaking up the contents inside. She looked at the vial again. The dull red of the inactive Dust was considerably brighter now. Speckles of bright red were beginning to blink into existence inside the tube, and Weiss could feel it getting warmer. She tossed the vial into the room, and swung the door shut.

“There'll be a hundred guys coming the way we came,” Ruby said, “Is there another way out of the basement?”

“No, there's...” Weiss thought for a moment, “Dumb waiter. There's a dumb waiter on the west side that reaches the basement. This way!”

They took off after Weiss, as she dashed down the hall. They rushed past the staircase, as a cacophony of approaching guards sounded from above. They went around a corner, down another hall, then around the corner at the end of that one. They almost ran face first into a small group of guards who were rushing towards the source of the alarm. Ruby fired a snapshot that hit the lead guy in the gut. Weiss flipped into the air, and placed a black glyph in front of herself as she thrust forward. The added force sent her sword straight through the next guard's armour, impaling his shoulder. Winter sprinted past her towards the last guard. He tried to raise his weapon, but Winter grabbed the end of it and pushed it aside. She spun into an elbow strike to his face, then grabbed his head, swung him around, and slammed him into the wall. She slammed his head into the wall twice, forced him to his knees, and then kneed him in the head, before slamming his face against the wall a final time. The guard crumpled to the ground, as Winter took a deep breath.

“I think they put something into the food they were giving me,” Winter said, “Aura-suppressants. Had to improvise.”

“Well, good job,” Ruby said.

They continued forward, eventually reaching what was once a games room. They slipped inside, and Weiss crossed the room to where the door of a dumb waiter sat in one corner. She pushed the door up, poked her head into the shaft and looked up.

“We can get up to the second floor from here,” Weiss said, “We'll have a straight shot back to the library.”

Winter looked around in confusion.

“Is this the house?” She asked, “I've been in the house the whole time?”

Weiss nodded. Suddenly, the monstrous roar of an explosion rang out, and the entire building shook around them. The three of them stumbled, steadied themselves, and looked towards the door.

“Yup, the gas the flammable,” Ruby noted.

“That should distract them for a while,” Weiss said, “Let's go.”

She climbed into the shaft of the dumb waiter. Pushing her body against one side, and her outstretched legs against the other, she began sidling up the shaft. It took a few meters of climbing before she found the most optimal rhythm. She could hear Winter and Ruby working their way upwards beneath her. She passed the opening to first floor. She could hear people on the other side shouting and running about, panicked and scattered by the explosion downstairs. She continued upwards, and after a minute or so, reached the door on the second floor. Reorienting herself upwards, perching on the dumb waiter's mechanisms, she slid the point of Myrtenaster into the door, and pushed it upwards. She looked about the small smoking room where the waiter opened. The coast seemed clear. She pulled herself through the door.

“Alright, come on, come on,” She whispered.

Winter and Ruby pulled themselves out of the shaft. Weiss crept over to the door and put an ear to it. She couldn't hear anybody outside. She slowly opened the door, crouching down next to it. Looking around, if she found the hallway empty.

“The balcony in the library is just down this hall,” She whispered, “Into the library, into the tunnel, and we're free.”

Weiss,” Winter said, “Thank you for coming for me. Ironwood brought you to the city to help break me out, didn't he?”

“Well...” Ruby began.

“We can bring each other up to speed when we're out of here,” Weiss said, “Let's go.”

They slipped out of the smoking room and crept along the wall, working their way towards the balcony. Even as they drew near, Weiss could hear movement on the library's first floor. She held out a hand to the other two, and crept up to the railing. There were a dozen soldiers below, all heavily armed. Two of them were wearing the same exo-suits that Weiss had seen at the CCTS. They were all turned and facing the Colonel, who was standing next to the open door into the secret passage.

“Alright, we've got a hundred guns aimed at the other end of this tunnel,” The Colonel said, “IR sensors showed them getting in this way, but they're not using it to escape. We're going to scan floor by floor. We've confirmed it's Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose inside. Same orders as always: Take the Schnees alive. Kill Rose. You get a shot, take it, but remember, if you miss, whatever you hit in here is probably going to be more valuable than you.”

Weiss cursed under her breath, and slipped back to the others.

“We need another way out of here,” Weiss said, “The garage?”

“We'd have to open the garage doors, and the main gates,” Winter said, “The roof. There's a landing pad. Ruby, can you fly a bullhead?”

“She can fly,” Weiss said.

“Wha- I-” Ruby began, “I can fly badly...”

“We need to take off, get some distance from the Manor, then bail,” Weiss said, “You won't need to land.”

“Oh,” Ruby said, “Yeah, I can do that.”

“Alright, we'll take the stairs,” Weiss said, “This way.”

They snuck through the halls, only having to avoid a few guards on the way. They came to a spiral staircase, which lead all the way up to the roof. Weiss took the lead, with Winter behind her and Ruby covering them from the rear. Weiss dashed up the steps, unable to see what was just a few steps ahead due to the spiral. She could only hope not to run face-first into anybody. They passed the third floor, giving it a quick glance as they rushed past and finding it clear. All that was left was to pass the fourth floor, then they'd be up to the roof.

As Weiss ran up the steps, and the stairs opened up to the fourth floor, Weiss suddenly found herself staring directly at another squad of soldiers. She stopped suddenly, and Winter barely avoided running into her from behind. The soldiers raised their weapons in a panic.

“Freeze!” The squad leader shouted, “Weiss, Winter, do not move!”

He fumbled for his radio and clicked the button on the side.

“Hostiles identified on the South-West staircase, all forces-”

A shot rang out. One of the soldiers in front of the squad leader had had his weapon on the Schnee sisters, the barrel shaking wildly as the soldier trembled. He had fired accidentally, squeezing the trigger just a little too tight, if his look of shock at the gun going off was any indication. The bullet streaked through the air, brushed past Weiss, and hit Winter in the side. She fell back, gripping her side, crying out in pain.

“Winter!” Weiss cried.

“Oh, shit!” The squad leader shouted.

Ruby rushed forward, and caught Winter in her arms as she fell. The bullet had just grazed Winter's torso, injuring her, but not critically. Weiss threw up a Summoning Glyph in the doorway to the fourth floor. A ghostly white Ursa Major burst out of the Glyph, charging straight at the soldiers. Ruby lifted Winter up, and ran up the stairs with her. Weiss began running up the stairs, too, fleeing the sounds of shouting and gunfire.

They reached a locked door labelled “Roof Access”. Weiss charged up Myrtenaster with Fire Dust and stabbed it through the lock, kicking the door open without breaking stride. She emerged onto the roof, the cold wind blowing her hair about. She held the door open, and Ruby came out, Winter still in her arms. Winter was fighting to escape Ruby's grasp, and get back on her own feet.

“I'm alright,” She said, “I'm alright, it was just a graze. I'm-”

She fell silent as she looked out across the roof. Just a few meters away was the small staircase onto the landing pad. Sitting on the landing pad, engines humming and thrusters glowing, was a solid white Bullhead, with military insignia emblazoned on the sides. There was a small number of military androids standing in front of it, weapons ready. In the middle of them, his back turned to the three Huntresses, was Whitley Schnee. He turned around slowly, and smiled down at them. Weiss stared up at him, her jaw hanging open. He rubbed his chin, a mocking show of contemplation on his face. Weiss glanced back at Ruby. She looked at Winter, who was just getting back to her feet, holding her side in pain. Weiss gripped Myrtenaster tightly, the blade still glowing with Fire Dust. She turned back to Whitley.

“This ends here.” She whispered.

She snapped her sword up to fighting stance. She created a Glyph behind her, spun it up, and launched herself forward. She flew straight at Whitley, sword first. The burning point was aimed straight at his face. Winter cried out after her, but Weiss couldn't hear her. She screamed in rage, and flew at her brother, aiming to strike him down in one blow.

“Stop.” Whitley said.

It was like every muscle in Weiss's body was suddenly working to cancel her momentum. Weiss stopped dead, landing on the platform, her feet skidding her to a halt on the asphalt. The tip of her sword stopped mere centimeters from Whitley. Whitley smiled, giving the tip of the weapon a look of bemused curiousity. Weiss looked between Whitley and her sword in utter shock.

“Weiss, what is wrong with you?” Whitley said, “I think you were actually going to kill me. I'm hurt. Drop your sword.”

Weiss's hand snapped open, and Myrtenaster clattered to the ground. The glow of the Fire Dust faded away. Whitley snapped his fingers, and the AK-250 droids marched forward towards the edge of the landing pad. They levelled their weapons at Winter and Ruby. Ruby drew Crescent Rose and switched it into sword-form, looking past the droids at Weiss and Whitley with complete confusion. Whitley stepped around Weiss, glancing at her as he walked past.

“Sit.” He said.

It was like her legs simply ceased to function. Weiss dropped down onto the asphalt, sitting with her back to Winter and Ruby. She was breathing quickly, her mind racing, trying to understand what was happening. Whitley walked over to the edge of the landing pad.

“Drop the weapon, Ruby,” Whitley said, “Don't move, either of you.”

Ruby dropped Crescent Rose to the ground. She looked down at the sword in shock. Neither of them were able to move at all. Whitley grinned in satisfaction, then walked back to Weiss. He crouched down next to her, and put a hand on her shoulder. Weiss shivered at his touch.

“Welcome home, Weiss,” He said.

“Whitley...” Weiss said, “H-how?”

“I'm glad you came home,” Whitley said, “I know you came to take Winter away, and I'm not happy about that. But you're both here now, and you're going to stay. Now, we can be a family again.”

 

 


	11. Chapter 11

Weiss shivered where she sat on the cold asphalt. She couldn't stand up again, in fact, she could move at all. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get her legs to respond. Whitley stood over her, smiling. Weiss found she could move her arms. She reached for Myrtenaster, but her hand seemed to stop on its own, leaving the sword just out of reach. She looked up at Whitley, still desperately searching him for answers. Whitley looked between Weiss and the sword and sighed.

"I told you to drop it," He said, "Maybe I'll let you pick it up again when you can be trusted with it."

Weiss could hear heavy footfalls spilling onto the roof from the door they'd come through. The guards had taken down the Ursa, and rushed to catch up. Whitley turned and walked back towards the edge of the landing pad. Weiss looked over her shoulder, unable to turn around. Whitley stood by the edge, looking down as the guards surrounded Winter and Ruby, raising their weapons.

"At ease, gentlemen," Whitley said, "My sister and our... unwelcome guest will not be causing any more trouble. Weiss, don't just sit there, come here."

Weiss was standing up and rushing to Whitley's side even before she finished processing what he said. She joined him in the middle of the row of androids, which were still training their weapons on Winter and Ruby. Whitley sauntered over to the staircase and started down it. As he reached the bottom, he paused for a second, staring at Winter in surprise. He hurried over to her, quite a bit quicker, and looked down at her blood-splattered side.

"You were shot?!" Whitley asked.

"How the Hell are you doing this?" Winter asked.

"Weiss, what the Hell?!" Whitley shouted, turning back to her, "Winter was perfectly safe and comfortable in that cell, and you busted her out and got her shot!"

"By one of your thugs." Ruby said.

"Shut up," Whitley ordered her, before turning towards the leader of the guards, "Who shot Winter?"

The guards looked between each other, nervously. Weiss could see the one who'd shot Winter. He looked to be in his early twenties. He was trembling in fear.

"Sir," The squad leader said, "Things got out of control. We were attempting to stop-"

"Tell me. Who shot. My sister." Whitley demanded.

"It was Brighton, sir," The squad leader said, pointing him out.

Whitley walked over to Brighton and stood in front of him, staring him in the eye. Brighton maintained eye contact as best he could, shaking like a leaf.

"I was aiming at Ruby Rose, sir." He said.

"Shoot yourself in the head." Whitley said.

Immediately, Brighton brought his rifle up under his chin and fired. Weiss gasped in horror. Ruby put her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide. The soldier's body fell back as the guards to either side of him jumped back in surprise. Whitley walked back over to Winter, looking at her wound.

"Well, call for a medic, already," He ordered the squad leader, "Weiss, why are you standing up there like a weirdo? Come down."

Weiss walked down the steps and joined them. The squad leader turned, drew his radio and began calling for a medic, as instructed. The sound of footsteps drew Weiss's eye to the door. Another group of soldiers arrived, lead by the Colonel. Seeing him made Weiss feel all the more powerless.

"Whitley, how?" She asked, "Is that your Semblance?"

"Yes, Weiss, we're all very glad you figured that out," Whitley said, "It might not be as flashy as what you do, but it works well enough."

Ruby made an attempt to speak. Instead, she gagged, and doubled over, as if she trying to cough, but was unable to. Whitley rolled his eyes.

"Speak up," He said.

First, Ruby coughed, and cleared her throat. After taking a breath, she looked up at Whitley.

"I thought Schnee Semblances were hereditary," She said.

"I didn't inherit it," Whitley said, "My Semblance doesn't come from my name, it comes from me. I can't cast Glyphs, I can't Summon... but I've always been good at manipulating people. Ask Weiss."

"All that propoganda, everything you said about Huntsmen and Huntresses," Ruby said, "You use Aura too! You hypocritical... you piece of..."

"Never did get the force field thing figured out," Whitley said, "But, with a Semblance like this, who needs it?"

Weiss squeezed her fist tight. She wanted more than anything to strike Whitley, but she couldn't. A medic appeared in the doorway, looked about, and did a double-take at the dead man lying near them. He moved towards the body, opening his medical kit.

"I'm afraid he has no use for your services, doctor," Whitley said, "Winter could use your attention, however."

The medic rushed to Winter's side. Winter took a step away from him, shielding her injury.

"Get the Hell away from me," Winter warned.

"Winter, let the man work," Whitley said.

"I'll use my Aura to heal it," Winter said.

"Let him treat you, now," Whitley said.

Winter couldn't stop herself from dropping her arms to her sides. The medic gave her a stammered apology, then leaned in to look at her wound. It was a graze just along her lowest ribs. There was quite a bit of blood soaking her jumpsuit, but the wound wasn't critical. The medic quickly drew a roll of gauze from his medkit.

"There, that's that taken care of," Whitley said, nodding, "Now, onto less pressing concerns. Like the rogue Huntress Weiss brought into our house to assassinate me."

At this he turned and looked at Ruby. Ruby glared back at him.

"Leave her alone, Whitley!" Weiss said, "We didn't come here to kill you, we came to rescue Winter."

"You literally just tried to kill me," Whitley said, turning to face Weiss, "And I get to make you miserable for that. But you're my sister, and I love you. So I'm not going to kill you back, because I would never do that. Ruby, however..."

"No!" Weiss shouted.

"Think I'm scared of you, you scrawny little creep?" Ruby asked, "Do your worst."

"Colonel," Whitley said.

The Colonel walked up to Ruby, brought up his fist, and punched her in the side of the head. Ruby was thrown to the asphalt, grunting in pain. Whitley was still staring at Weiss, as Weiss's hands flew up to her mouth. Ruby lay on the ground, gripping the side of her head.

"Ruby, stand up. Drop your Aura." Whitley ordered.

Still reeling from pain, Ruby fought her way up to her feet. Her body shimmered with sparkling red light as her Aura disappeared. As soon as she was up, the Colonel hit her in the back of the head with an elbow strike. Ruby sprawled forward again, this time with blood flying from the back of her head. She screamed in pain, and clutched her head.

"Whitley, please, stop!" Weiss begged.

"Do you want to be the one doing it?" Whitley asked, "Because we can do that if you want. Ruby, stand up!"

"Whitley, what is wrong with you?!" Winter shouted.

"What's wrong with  _me_?!" Whitley shouted back, "What the Hell is..."

Ruby was back to her feet. The Colonel walked over to her and grabbed her by the throat. He gave Whitley a questioning look. Whitley looked between Weiss and Winter, and rubbed his eyes in exasperation.

"Arrest her," Whitley ordered, "We'll discuss what to do with her later. Actually, take my bullhead, and get her to a secure facility. Ruby, you're-"

Ruby spat at Whitley, her head still in the Colonel's grip. The glob of saliva struck the ground next to Whitley's foot. He looked down at it with disgust.

"You're not allowed to resist in any way."

The Colonel forcefully turned Ruby around, pulled her hands behind her back, and withdrew a pair of handcuffs. He cuffed Ruby, nodded to Whitley, then marched her over to the bullhead, still waiting on the pad. Whitley, Weiss, and Winter stared between each other. Whitley was looking at his sisters, as if waiting for something.

"Well?" He asked.

"Well, what?" Weiss asked.

"Oh, I don't know Weiss, how about 'Thank you, Whitley, for sparing my girlfriend. You're so patient and considerate, even after I tried to  _stab you in the face_ '?"

"You're not planning on sparing her," Winter hissed, "Are you?"

"I could if I wanted to," Whitley said, "She was engaging in illegal Huntress activity, and then was an accomplice in an attempted assassination of Atlas's rightful President-General. I can deport her back to Vale, and she'll be stripped of her Huntress license forever."

Ruby was just being loaded onto the bullhead as Whitley said this. The Colonel climbed in beside her, and pulled the side-door shut. The bullhead sat where it was for a moment, then rose off the pad. It turned and burned away into the night. Whitley, Weiss and Winter watched as it vanished into the distance.

"I don't have to do that, of course," Whitley said, "It all depends on you, I suppose. But, we can deal with that later. Now why in the world are we standing around in the freezing cold on this roof? As it happens, the kitchen was just preparing dinner. We can eat together. As a family."

"Uh, Sir?" The medic spoke up.

"Is she okay?" Whitley asked.

"She's right, sir," The medic said, "This is a wound her Aura could heal quite easily, if she was allowed to raise it. If I stitched it, it would just cause scarring."

Whitley stared at Winter for a moment, contemplating. Winter gave him one of the coldest glares Weiss had ever seen from her.

"Stitches will do fine," Whitley said, "Take her to the infirmary. Keep your weapons on her. Non-lethal weapons, if that wasn't obvious."

"...yes, sir," The medic said.

Winter was ushered to the stairs. Several soldiers accompanied the medic, drawing stun batons. Winter was lead down the stairs and disappeared from sight. Whitley turned back towards Weiss, and saw her staring daggers at him.

"She would have been fine," He said, "What did you think you were saving her from? Did you think I was going to hurt my own sister?"

"How long have you been able to do this?" Weiss asked.

"A while," Whitley said.

"Did Father really kill himself?" Weiss asked.

Whitley seemed momentarily surprised by the question. He rubbed his chin.

"That depends what you mean, Weiss," Whitley said, "Are you asking if he did it, or if it was his idea?"

"You  _bastard_ ," Weiss hissed, "You complete bastard. You let me think- you made me think that it was me that-"

Weiss found quite suddenly that there were tears welling in her eyes. Whitley noticed, and stepped towards her, looking concerned.

"Hey, hey," He said, "You thought that- Oh, Weiss. Oh no. I never considered that you would think..."

"Go to Hell!" Weiss said, "You're lying! You murdered our father, and you wanted the blame to be on me!"

"Weiss, please," Whitley said, "We fell out of touch after he died, I never realized you- I'm sorry. Truly, I am."

"You bastard..." Weiss whispered.

Whitley ran and hand through his hair, looking about in frustration. He glanced up onto the pad.

"Would somebody... would somebody please fetch my sister's sword?" He asked, "Put it somewhere safe? Be gentle with it."

The squad leader hurried up to the pad, past the androids, and carefully lifted the sword of the ground.

"Weiss, I can explain everything I have done," Whitley said, "You'll understand. When you're seeing what I'm trying to do, you'll understand. I promise. Please come to dinner. We'll talk."

Weiss took a deep breath. She watched as the squad leader brought the sword past them, carrying it gingerly towards the stairs. She looked at the body of the soldier who'd been forced to kill himself, still laying on the asphalt.

"Okay," She said, "Let's go."

Whitley stepped to one side and ushered Weiss towards the door. Weiss walked forward, past the groups of soldiers, all looking at her with hate, and at Whitley with fear. Weiss had no idea how she was going to get out of this. All she could do was take this chance to talk to Whitley. She didn't have much options other than to play along if she was to have any hope of Ruby surviving. Whitley followed after her, glancing to the dead body still laying there as he passed it.

"Would somebody clean that up, please?" He said.

Once again, Weiss walked into the manor that was once her home. This time, with Whitley following after her.


	12. Chapter 12

The Schnee Manor's dining room was an excessively opulent hall, decorated with lavish artworks, ornate wall-mounted candelabras, and a massive chandelier. The dining table was long and rowed with ornate chairs, all of mahogany. Whitley sat at the head of the table, his own chair larger, and far more grandiose than the others. Weiss sat on the chair to his right, leaving most of the table unoccupied. Still, the entire length was piled with extravagantly prepared dishes and platters of food. The two of them were not alone in the room; there were several members of the wait staff on one side of the room, near the door to the kitchen. On the other side were several guards, dressed in sharp suits rather than combat armour. Whitley was gingerly cutting slices of the roast duck on his plate. Weiss had yet to take anything from the table. She stared at her brother as he ate, until eventually, he caught her glance.

“Go on, Weiss, eat something,” Whitley said, “Surely there's something to your liking.”

Weiss didn't answer. She picked up her glass of white wine, and sipped it.

“I'm sure living on a Huntress's pay doesn't afford you this selection,” Whitley said, chewing a bit of duck in the corner of his mouth, “What was it that you...? Swordfish, that's it.”

Whitley turned to the wait staff.

“My sister comes home for a visit and nobody lays out swordfish,” Whitley said, “Would somebody please tell the cook-”

One of the waitresses was hurrying into the kitchen even before Weiss spoke.

“Whitley, I'm not hungry,” Weiss said, “And you don't need to put on this show.”

“And what show is that, Weiss?” Whitley asked, “I'm trying to show hospitality. You are a guest at my table, and I want to ensure you're fed. Or did you forget about manners while you've been away?”

“Where is Mother?” Weiss asked.

“Hmm?” Whitley raised an eyebrow as he lifted a large goblet of wine to his mouth.

“Mother isn't here,” Weiss said, “The gardens are in disarray, and you haven't even mentioned her.”

Whitley sipped his wine, paused for a moment, then set the goblet down. He seemed nervous to answer.

“Mother... has gotten worse, I'm afraid,” He said, looking away from Weiss, “She's staying at the summer home for now. She spends every day drinking. I visit her from time to time, but... she doesn't enjoy my company anymore.”

“Does she know you killed Father?” Weiss asked.

“No,” Whitley said, “I don't think so. And I don't think she misses him. Weiss, if you have been... punishing yourself for what I did, I am very sorry. But don't treat his death as a tragedy. Our father was a bastard, you know that. After you left, he wasn't broken. He was enraged. He took it out on Mother.”

“Is that why you did it?” Weiss asked.

“It made it easier,” Whitley said, “But, it's good that you're home, Weiss. Maybe you can go visit her. She would like that.”

The waitress reappeared in the door to the kitchen.

“Miss Schnee, ma'am, the chef sincerely apologizes for the lack of swordfish,” She said, “Your visit was on short notice, but he began preparing the swordfish as soon as he heard you'd be joining us, and-”

Weiss held up a hand to stop her.

“Tell him thank you,” Weiss said, “And to not worry about the delay.”

The waitress nodded, and slipped back into the kitchen. Whitley looked at Weiss in bemusement. Weiss grabbed her wine glass and took a large gulp.

“Will you eat something?” He asked.

“Alright, fine,” Weiss said, reaching for a platter of roast beef.

“Good,” Whitley said, “That reminds me, though.”

He held up a finger to get the attention of one of the guards. The guard stepped forward, and Whitley motioned his head towards Weiss. The guard walked up to the table, picked up Weiss's wine glass, and drew a small vial from his jacket. He popped the top off the vial, poured the contents into the glass, and set it back down.

“Whitley, what the Hell was that?” Weiss asked.

“It's harmless, I assure you,” Whitley said, “It's an Aura-suppressant. It's for your safety as well as mine. Seeing as you tried to kill me tonight, I think that's fair.”

Weiss stared at the glass. She considered slapping it away.

“Don't make me say it.” Whitley said.

Weiss sighed, picked up the glass, and tossed the wine back. There was no hint of what had been added to it, other than a slightly bitter aftertaste.

“I had Atlas scientists working for years on that one,” Whitley said, “Still too expensive to start adding to the water supply, but we're getting there.”

“What is worth all of this, Whitley?” Weiss asked, “Do you really hate Aura-users this much? Even for you, this is petty.”

“Do you truly still refuse to understand what I'm trying to do?” Whitley asked, “Do you think this is all some childish revenge? I'm trying to accomplish something. To build a better world.”

“A better world?!” Weiss repeated, in disbelief, “You think the world would be better with you as an unquestioned dictator?!”

“Yes.” Whitley said. The answer was so immediate as to catch Weiss offguard.

“And how will this world be safe without Hunters to defend it?” Weiss asked.

“Hunters defended mankind against the Grimm,” Whitley said, “With Salem's defeat, the Grimm are going extinct. There is no more need for the Huntsmen. They are obsolete. For the good of Humanity, they should be... retired.”

“There will always be a need for people like me,” Weiss said, “As long as there are people like you.”

Whitley forced a smile.

“Huntsmen and Huntresses represent more than a child's understanding of heroism,” Whitley said, “They represent a dangerous amount of individual power. They represent the idea that if a person has the power to take justice into their own hands, fight for what they perceive as a just cause, then they have the right to. That is not heroism, Weiss, it's anarchy.”

“If I have to choose between that and tyranny-” Weiss began.

“It's between that and _order_ , Weiss. Look at what you've done in just two days in my city. The number of soldiers you've killed. The collateral damage. All of this, because you, and Ruby, and Ironwood and Winter, decided you didn't like how I was running things. The will of four people against an entire Kingdom. A stable society cannot exist where individuals have that power.”

“How you were running things?” Weiss asked, “Would you listen to yourself?! You're committing atrocities! You- you bombed your own people... you're threatening the entire world with whatever Harbinger is...”

Whitley rose from his seat and slammed his hand down on the table.

“And how did you respond?! Did you call me, ask to come home? Express concern, and pretend to listen when I explained myself? I would have had you flown right here, and told you _everything_! I could have shown you what I am trying to do! You came home, to my city, as an enemy! I was forced to defend everything I'd built from my own sister! You had the power to tear it all down, and decided it gave you the right! _That_ is the danger the Huntsmen pose! And what of my power? I had to _work_ to get to where I was! I had to be clever! This trick I can do, Weiss- the trick that's keeping you from killing me right now, I'm sure- it's still just a trick. I had to outwit people far harder to outwit than you to get to where I am. I earned this power. Not from my name. Not from Father. Do I not deserve this, simply because I wasn't born with it?”

Whitley glared down at Weiss, who found herself making an effort to move away from him.

“Please sit down,” Weiss said.

Whitley sighed, and settled back into his seat. He adjusted the coat he wore, as if it were the source of his discomfort.

“I never thought... that you didn't deserve it, Whitley,” Weiss said. She was picking her words with the same care one would take while attempting to defuse a bomb, “You did earn this. When I heard the news that you'd taken a seat on the council... I was so happy for you. It was Father who turned us against each other, and I was happy to see you escape his shadow. I never got a chance to contact you- maybe I thought you wouldn't want to hear from me- but I wanted to wish you good luck. I hoped you would bring positive change to Atlas. But-”

Whitley held up a hand to stop her.

“I know that from where you're sitting, I seem like a monster,” Whitley said, “A Tyrant. Maybe... maybe I even seem like him. But you have to believe that I haven't done the things I've done without thought. Everything I've done has been a necessary step. You changed things when you defeated Salem. All of human history was defined by our fight against the Grimm. Now we have the power to make this world ours. We can reach our fullest potential, but we have to ensure that power finds itself in the right hands.”

“The right hands sure as Hell aren't yours.” Weiss said.

“I'm saying the world is in the midst of a transition,” Whitley said, “A transition that was always going to get ugly. You defeated the face of evil itself, but what you didn't realize was that you were defeating a common enemy. The Kingdoms have no enemies anymore, except for each other. A new war is coming, Weiss. You made it inevitable. It will tear this world apart, unless something is done to prevent it. I believe I can do it... if I am willing to make some very difficult decisions.

How many Atlas soldiers have you killed since coming home? Did they all deserve to die? You would be a monster to suggest it. But they would have stopped you from accomplishing what you believed to be right. So you deemed it necessary. I'm no different, Weiss. I'm just... working on a larger scale. You saved the world from Salem. Now I'm trying, desperately, to save it from itself. And it would be easier... if you were at my side.”

The door on the opposite end of the room opened, and Winter stepped through, accompanied by the medic and several armed guards. The guards were keeping their weapons trained on Winter, following her every step.

“Winter, I'm glad you could join us,” Whitley said, “Please, have a seat. Gentlemen, please, no pointing weapons around in here. Let's try to be civil.”

The guards obliged, lowering their guns to their sides. Weiss stood and hurried over to Winter. Whitley looked up in mild surprise at Weiss leaving the table.

“Are you okay?” Weiss asked.

“I'm fine,” Winter said.

“Let me see,” Weiss said.

Winter took the edge of the upper portion of the fresh, clean jumpsuit she was wearing and lifted it, exposing her wound. The bullet had torn a decent hole in her side. The wound was stitched and bandaged over, but even still, Weiss could see it was bad.

“At the dinner table? Guys? Really?” Whitley asked.

“That's going to be a scar,” Weiss nodded.

“I know it is,” Winter said, pulling the shirt back down.

Weiss walked back to Whitley.

“If she were allowed to raise her Aura...”

“You proved why I can't allow that,” Whitley said, “I'm very sorry, but that injury wasn't my fault in the first place. Sit down, both of you.”

Weiss returned to her seat, and Winter too the spot next to her. Whitley motioned with his hand, urging them to eat, and the two of them uncomfortably obliged.

“If we can't stop you, Whitley,” Winter said, “And you won't let us escape, you might as well tell us what Harbinger is.”

“I thought Huntresses liked theatricality,” Whitley said, “I don't want to spoil the moment. When you see it, I promise you'll be impressed.”

“So you're going to show us?” Winter asked.

“It fills me with joy that we'll experience it together, as a family,” Whitley said, “The Schnees, together again, watching the dawn of a new world.”

“You won't even get the chance to-” Winter began.

Weiss kicked Winter sharply in the shin, doing her best to keep the motion invisible from above the tabletop. Winter stopped speaking, and glanced at Weiss in confusion. Weiss picked up her wine glass and took another sip. Winter cleared her throat. Whitley looked between the two of them, an eyebrow raised.

“Finish your thought?” Whitley asked, “Oh, I'm sure it was something about how I have no idea what I'm doing, and I'm doomed to failure. Or maybe it was something about how the great James Ironwood will come rescue you?”

“Go to Hell, Whitley,” Winter said.

Whitley let Winter's words hang in the air for a moment, then turned to Weiss.

“Weiss, you don't have the blind loyalty to Ironwood that Winter has, do you?” Whitley asked.

“Whitley, this doesn't have to be about-” Weiss began.

“Be truthful.” Whitley ordered.

“No.” Weiss said, “I don't trust him.”

Weiss was completely thrown off kilter by the sensation of her own tongue being wrenched from her control. Winter looked nervously between Weiss and Whitley.

“Why not?” Whitley asked.

“Because I think he's willing to sacrifice everybody working with him to stop you.”

“Hmm,” Whitley replied, “But didn't he send you to rescue your sister?”

“No,” Weiss said, “He came to Ruby and I for help stopping Harbinger. He tried to keep Winter's capture a secret.”

These words seemed to hit Winter like a blow to the gut. She looked at Weiss, as if begging for a sign Weiss had somehow been lying. Eventually, she closed her eyes, and nodded.

“Would you believe Winter doesn't understand why I don't like that guy?” Whitley asked, “You're turn, Winter. Tell me where Ironwood is.”

“He's most likely still working out of resistance headquarters,” Winter said, almost robotically, “527 Mangrove Street in Mantle.”

Weiss put her head in her hands. Winter slapped a hand over her mouth, staring forward in horror.

“There,” Whitley said, “That's all you needed to say. I told you, Winter, there were methods I didn't want to use. Because I wanted you to tell me of your own free will. I'm sorry, but you forced my hand.”

“Whitley, they're just good people trying to survive under your boot,” Weiss said, “You don't have to-”

“ _Order_ , Weiss,” Whitley said, “If the world is to survive, we must have order.”

He snapped his fingers, and one of the guards stepped forward.

“Have troops deployed to 527 Mangrove Street in Mantle,” He ordered, “Priority target is James Ironwood, eliminate all other opposition-”

“Use non-lethal force.” Weiss said.

Whitley and the guard both looked at her in confusion. The guard awkwardly turned to Whitley, unsure how to respond.

“Weiss, you can't actually give orders to-”

“You want me to be on your side?” Weiss asked, “You really want what's best for the world? Show me. Demonstrate strength with something other than brute force. You want me to believe you deserve your power, than prove it.”

Whitley ran his tongue over his front teeth. He took a moment to mull over the statement. Eventually, he looked up to the guard.

“Eliminate James Ironwood, with _lethal_ force. All other opposition should be neutralized non-lethally, if possible. Send... hmm... send Soleil.”

The guard nodded, and left the room. Winter was still covering her mouth, trembling. Weiss was looking at Whitley with suspicion.

“Well,” Whitley said, “I hadn't intended to turn dinner into an interrogation. I apologize if I put off anyone's appetite. I have a room ready for the both of you. Weiss, you sort of blew up part of the house, but luckily I thought to build a spare holding cell.”

“You're just sending us away because you got what you wanted?” Winter spat at him.

“I didn't get what I wanted, Winter.” Whitley said, “Perhaps it's best you both be escorted to the cell, though. I have work to do. Three days. Three days until you see what I've been working on. It will change the world... I only hope it can change your minds.”

Whitley snapped his fingers towards the rest of the guards, then pointed towards his sisters. The guards stepped forward, weapons ready, but held at their sides. Weiss and Winter stood, and, seeing no other option, allowed themselves to be lead from the room. Whitley remained in his seat, sipping from his goblet.

A few minutes later, the holding cell's door closed on Weiss and Winter. Two of the guards remained stationed by the door on the other side of the glass, but other than that, they were alone. Winter sat down on one of the cots, and slumped, staring at the ground.

“Thanks for making it an interesting evening, Weiss,” She said.

Weiss took the opposing cot and leaned in close, hoping the guards wouldn't overhear.

“Winter, I'm sorry,” Weiss said, “If we'd known-”

“We have to kill him, Weiss,” Winter said, “If he hadn't stopped you on the roof... if we kill him, that'll solve everything.”

“Winter, no, no, that won't work!” Weiss said, “This doesn't simplify things, it just makes things more difficult! I was impulsive on the roof, I was being stupid! If he dies, best case scenario, he has a hierarchy in place. Maybe whoever replaces him will be better, maybe worse. If he doesn't have a hierarchy, we create a power vacuum that could tear Atlas apart.”

“So what do we do?” Winter asked, “Now that the resistance is doomed, and I just killed Ironwood?”

“We don't know that the attack on the resistance will succeed,” Weiss said, “But... look, _Harbinger is still the priority_. We came here to find out what it is, now Whitley's going to give us front row seats.”

“And then what?” Winter asked.

Weiss took a deep breath. She ran over the options in her head.

“He's trying to manipulate us,” She said, “Maybe we could manipulate him. Convince him we're on his side, get him to let his guard down. We're not beating him a straight-up fight. We need to outsmart him. That's how we win.”

“And then what?” Winter repeated.

“And then he pays for what he's done,” Weiss said, “One way or another.”

 

* * *

 

“I can deport her back to Vale, and she'll be stripped of her Huntress license forever.”

Ruby heard Whitley say this just as she was being lifted onto the bullhead. She looked back out at Weiss, who met her gaze, staring after her helplessly. She wanted more than anything to jump from the aircraft, tear the gauntlet-wearing thug to pieces, and rescue her partner. But she couldn't even twitch a muscle to resist. She couldn't even raise her Aura. Her whole body was in pain from the beating. The Colonel climbed into the Bullhead beside her, and pulled the door shut. Weiss was caught off from view, and the bullhead lifted off, burning away into the night.

The Colonel grabbed Ruby by the back of her jacket, and dragged her to the aft section of the cabin. He slapped a handcuff onto one of her wrists, and locked the other one to one of the bars on the side.

“I don't need Aura to kill you,” Ruby growled.

“And I don't need his permission to kill you,” The Colonel replied, “Don't push me.”

The Colonel walked back towards the front of the craft, and addressed the pilot.

“Take us to the Sigma facility,” The Colonel instructed.

Ruby squirmed into a sitting position. She looked at the handcuff on her wrist, and pulled against the chain. If only she could use her Semblance, she could blink right out of the restraint. She pulled against the handcuff, testing the strength of the bar. She briefly considered snapping her own thumb. The Colonel turned around and looked at her fighting against the chain. He seemed to tense up. Ruby looked at the handcuff again, and something occurred to her. She was trying to escape. She was resisting.

A glow of red energy shimmered over Ruby as her Aura raised. She looked at her hands as the pain in her head and back was numbed.

“How about that?” She said.

The Colonel rushed towards her. She burst into a cloud of rose petals, and the handcuffs clanged empty against the side of the hull. The Colonel swung at empty air, and Ruby reappeared behind him. Immediately, she pounced on his back, wrapped an arm around his throat, and began punching him in the back of the head. He grunted, and without even trying to grab her, threw himself backwards against the side of the cabin. Ruby slammed into the metal hull, and the Colonel's full weight slammed into her, knocking the wind out of her. Before she had a chance to recover, He pushed forward, spun, and slammed her into the opposite side.

“Sir, should I land?” The pilot called back.

“Just keep it steady!” The Colonel yelled, “I'm gonna kick this little-”

Ruby gasped and wheezed, but pushed forward. She dropped down behind the Colonel, and thrust her arm between his legs, bringing her fist up into his crotch. He cried out in protest, and Ruby took the chance to hit him in the small of his knee, driving him down, then swung around him. She slammed her palm into his nose, hoping to overcome his Aura and drive his nose-bridge into his skull. He was barely disoriented by the hit. He grabbed her by the wrist and headbutted her. As Ruby stumbled, he grabbed her by the throat, and pushed her upwards, slamming her head into the roof of the cabin. Ruby's vision was filled with stars. The Colonel threw her down, her head taking another blow from the floor, and the wind getting knocked from her lungs.

The Colonel put his boot down on her chest, and looked down at her. Her eyes were fluttering, fighting to stay open. The Colonel grunted, and dragged her back to where the handcuffs were hanging. He slapped the cuff back onto her arm.

“I said don't push it,” The Colonel said, “Now I'm just gonna have to keep my boot on you the whole way.”

“Thought... you would kill me... coward,” Ruby breathed, “Unless... you do need... permission.”

“Shut. Up.” He growled.

Ruby was barely able to stay conscious, but her mind was racing. She knew exactly what had just happened.

“Powerful Semblance,” She whispered, under her breath, “Really strong. Short range. Range.”

 


	13. Chapter 13

Ironwood was staring dead-eyed at the communication screen in front of him. It was displaying various lists of communications frequencies, intercepted messages, and other data. He was wearing a large pair of headphones, listening to garbled conversations between soldiers, pilots, and other personnel. In one hand he held a coffee, in the other, a pencil. He was idly tapping it against the pad of paper in front of him. He'd been at this the entire night. The sky was just beginning to lighten as morning prepared to break.

The door to the radio room opened, and Mercury stepped in. He looked much more rested, and was casually eating a sandwich. He nodded to Ironwood, without a word. Ironwood nodded back, and turned back to the screen.

“Haven't heard anything,” Ironwood said, “If they got out, I'd have heard something. If they were caught... I should have. Doesn't add up.”

“Mm-hmm,” Mercury said, “That is a little strange.”

“A Bullhead left the Manor... around midnight,” Ironwood said, rubbing his eyes, “Headed for Sigma facility. Why would they go there?”

Mercury took a bite of his sandwich.

“They might not be dead, you know,” He said, chewing in one corner of his mouth, “I mean, they're probably dead. But they might not be.”

Ironwood glared at him. Mercury shrugged.

“More shipments heading out to Wernher Fields...” Ironwood said.

“What's that?” Mercury asked, without even attempting a tone of actual interest.

“The facility where Harbinger is being tested,” Ironwood said.

“Right, I knew that,” Mercury said.

“It's weird,” Ironwood said, “They're Dust explosives. But they're Gravity Dust explosives. Those are usually for... mines. Or demolition.”

“What if you wanted to break up ice?” Mercury offered.

“There's no reason to break up the ice,” Ironwood said, “The only thing under the ice around there...”

Ironwood paused, his eyes darting about in thought. He spun the pencil about his fingers.

“He wouldn't...” Ironwood said.

Radio chatter suddenly picked up. Ironwood adjust the frequency dial, trying to pick out a single channel.

“Troop movements, a lot of them,” Ironwood said, “I think they're- oh no. They're on their way to Mantle.”

“Uh huh,” Mercury said, “Probably another show of force.”

“Then we'll need to get out there!” Ironwood said.

“Ugh, I just got up,” Mercury said, “Can I get a cup of coffee first?”

There was a rumble in the air over head. A large aircraft somewhere over the street. It wasn't passing over, it was hovering in the air right next to the building. Mercury and Ironwood looked at each other, concerned. There came a high-pitched whine.

“Incoming!” Ironwood shouted, diving for the ground.

The house was rocked by an explosion as the missile struck. Mercury was sent tumbling, dropping the remains of his sandwich. A rain of dust was shook from the ceiling. There was an explosion of gunfire outside.

“Shit!” Ironwood shouted, “Shit, shit, shit! They found us!”

“What tipped you off?” Mercury asked, getting to his feet.

“Shut up! Find Flynt!” Ironwood shouted, “We have to get these people out of here!”

“Alright, alright,” Mercury said.

He turned, grabbed the door handle, and threw it open. He dashed out of the radio room and out of sight. With the door open, Ironwood could hear the panicked screams of the resistance members inside the building. He drew his revolver and rushed out. He turned to the front door and saw one resistance fighter standing next to the door with a shotgun in hand. The fighter reached over and slid open the cover on the eye slot.

“Wait, don't!” Ironwood tried to warn him.

The resistance fighter peered through the eye slot. An explosion of electricity went off in his face, knocking him backwards. Ironwood took a moment to not the oddness of the use of a nonlethal weapon. The door burst open, revealing a group of Atlas soldiers aiming to storm the entrance. They had electric rifles and stun batons, but had their standard rifles still slung at their hips. They immediately caught sight of Ironwood and reached for their rifles.

“Cont-” One of the soldiers started to shout.

Ironwood snapped his revolver up and shot the soldier in the head. He dove for cover as the other soldiers grabbed their weapons and opened fire. Putting himself back in the door of the radio room, he blind-fired at the front door. The soldiers returned fire, shredding the wall concealing Ironwood. He raised an arm, shielding his face from the debris. He quickly reloaded his revolver, took a deep breath, and rolled out the doorway. The soldiers fired, the bullets whizzing over his head. He came to a crouch, snapped off another headshot on the advancing soldiers, then dashed further into the house. In the living room, people were dashing around, trying to take cover from the barrage of incoming shots.

“Out the back way!” Ironwood yelled, “I'll cover your retreat!”

A soldier with a shotgun charged, screaming, around the corner, levelling his weapon at Ironwood. Ironwood grabbed the end of the weapon, and pushed it downwards. The shot ripped apart the floor. Ironwood fired into the soldier's gut from the hip, then twisted his revolver upwards, shooting the soldier under the chin. A resistance fighter with an assault rifle ran up to Ironwood.

“We should stay and fight!” He said.

“They have too many people!” Ironwood said, “We'll be overrun eventually. Go! Run and shoot!”

The fighter nodded, and took off.

“Alright, everybody behind me!” The fighter shouted to the civilians in the room, “Out the back, I'll cover!”

Ironwood caught a glimpse of something flying past his head into the room. His eyes locked onto it. A flashbang grenade. He shielded his eyes, just as it detonated. The people in the room were sent tumbling to the ground, the horrendously loud blast drowning out their screams. Soldiers charged into the room, blasting the civilians with the electric rifles and batons. Ironwood shook his head, trying to recover from the stun. One soldier charged up to him and thrust the stun baton into his chest. Ironwood roared in pain and dropped to one knee. He shot the soldier through the leg, then in the head as he was falling. Then he took a shot from an electric rifle and fell backwards. He coughed and wheezed on the floor. The soldier who shot him, walked up, and grinned in recognition. He kicked Ironwood's revolver away.

“We got him, Ironwood is down,” He said into his radio, “Send her in.”

 

* * *

 

 

Mercury came to the top of the stairs on the second floor, fighting against the rush of people trying to get out. He scanned the faces of the fleeing people, looking for Flynt.

“Hey, Flynt?” He shouted, “Anybody seen Flynt? Hey, yeah, the douchebag with the trumpet, does anybody know where he is?”

Pushing through the crowd, he looked down the hall and caught sight of the little girl with the sling on one arm. She was looking around in confusion, not sure where to go. The window behind her exploded inwards, and a soldier hanging from a cable climbed in through the window. He caught sight of the girl and raised a stun baton.

“Shit.” Mercury growled.

He charged forward, the soldier catching sight of him and pausing.

“Duck!” Mercury yelled.

The girl ducked, and Mercury leapt over her head, delivering a flying kick to the soldier's chest. He was sent flying backwards out the window. Immediately, another soldier rappelled to the window and attempted to crawl in. Mercury grabbed him, dragged him inside, and threw him to the ground. He stomped on his crotch as hard as he could. The soldier was still trying to move. Mercury grabbed him by the shoulder, lifted him up and slammed his face into the window frame. Then he kicked him in the back of the head.

He turned around and looked at the girl, who was staring back at him in shock.

“Go!” He yelled, pointing to the staircase.

The girl nodded, and dashed towards the stairs. Mercury ran down a different hall, hearing more windows busting open behind him. He kicked open the door to Flynt's room, and stepped in. As expected the room was unoccupied. As Mercury looked about, he heard weapons cocking behind him.

“Mercury Black!” A soldier ordered, “Do not move!”

Mercury chuckled, and raised his hands. He turned around to see two soldiers in the doorway, rifles levelled at him. They were looking at him nervously.

“I've got no gun.” Mercury quipped.

 

* * *

 

 

Three soldiers stood over Ironwood, rifles aimed down at him. The other soldiers were putting cuffs on the other people in the room and leading them out towards the front. Ironwood breathed heavily, looking between the soldiers and his revolver.

“Try it, scumbag,” One soldier said, “Would love to be the guy who killed you.”

“That is my job, soldier.” A woman's voice said.

Ironwood looked to the hallway leading to the front door. Ciel Soleil marched into the room, hands behind her back. She wore a decorated officer's uniform, and and her blue beret. She looked about the room at the people being arrested. Then she gave a bemused glance to Ironwood.

“Soleil...” Ironwood grunted, “Figured he'd send you.”

A door burst open across the room, and a resistance fighter with a shotgun appeared through it.

“For Atlas!” He shouted, raising the shotgun.

Faster than the human eye could follow, Ciel brought her hand to her side, drew a small pistol, and put two shots into the man's chest, and one in his head. He fell forward into the room. Ciel looked at her troops, dissatisfied.

“Are we not clearing rooms, anymore, gentlemen?” She asked.

“S-sorry, ma'am,” One soldier said, “Excuse me, Ma'am, But we were supposed to use non-lethal force.”

“Lethal force only when necessary,” Ciel corrected, “I decide what necessary means.”

She walked over to Ironwood, pistol still in her hand.

“Well, well,” She said, “The great General Ironwood.”

“It's just. Ironwood.” Ironwood said to her.

“I am well aware,” She said, “You should have been loyal to Schnee.”

There was a loud, blasting noise on the other side of the nearby wall. It sounded bizarrely like a trumpet. The wall was blown apart, a soldier sent flying through it, crashing along the ground. The soldiers took aim at the hole in the wall, only for another trumpet blast to shoot through it, causing them to stumble back. Flynt Coal flew through the hole, trumpet in hand. He fired another blast at Ciel. She dropped to the ground, the blast passed over her and denting in the wall behind her. Laying prone, she fired at Flynt's legs. He flipped into the air, landing on his knees further into the room, with a couch obscuring Ciel's view of him. He turned his momentum into a spin on the ground, firing his trumpet in every direction, blasting away the other soldiers.

Ciel pushed herself up, charged, and vaulted the sofa. She jumped at Flynt, firing her pistol. Flynt spun faster, dodging the shots. As she closed the distance to him, he wrapped one leg around hers, pulling her to the ground while using his own momentum to flip up to his feet. Ciel fired up at him from the ground. Flynt dodged to one side, avoiding her first shot. The second time she pulled the trigger, the gun clicked.

“Somebody's not counting.” Flynt said.

Ciel brought her foot up and hit him in the crotch. He keeled over and she kicked him in the gut. As he stumbled a way, she pushed off the ground, launching herself back onto her feet. Flynt spun to roundhouse kick her. She ducked under his foot, dropped the empty magazine from her pistol, and threw it. It hit Flynt in the face, knocking off his glasses. Ciel used the opening to charge, and punch him in the crotch. She pistol-whipped him across the face, knocking him to the ground. His trumpet clattered onto the ground, just out of his reach.

Seeing that the guards were distracted, Ironwood rolled onto his front and began crawling towards his revolver. One of the soldiers noticed, ran over to Ironwood, and thrust a stun baton into his back. Ironwood groaned in pain, his Aura barely still active.

Flynt tried to stand, and Ciel kneed him in the ribs, dropping him back down. She drew another magazine, slapped it into her pistol, and racked the slide. She pulled back the slide a second time, double-checking that a round was chambered. Flynt attempted to kick her from the ground. She parried the attack with her own foot, then fired three shots into Flynt's gut. Flynt cried out in pain, but his Aura just barely blocked the shots. He desperately reached for his trumpet. Ciel stomped down on his hand, then fired the entire rest of the clip into the trumpet, shooting it to pieces.

“You bitch!” Flynt shouted.

Ciel pulled her foot back and kicked him across the face. Satisfied that he was down, she took a deep breath, and reloaded her pistol again. Again, she pulled back the action and checked the chamber. Nodding, she walked back towards Ironwood.

“Puts cuffs on Coal, please,” Ciel ordered the soldiers, must of whom were still struggling to get back up, “Make sure he can see.”

The soldiers hurried to complete the order. Ciel stopped in front of Ironwood, who was still laying face down on the floor.

“Pick him up.” She said.

The soldiers pulled Ironwood up, so that he was on his knees in front of Ciel.

“Ciel,” Ironwood breathed, “I trained you to be better than this.”

“You trained me to serve Atlas,” Ciel said, “You should have practised what you preached.”

“Is that what you think?” Ironwood laughed, “Is that what any of you believe? Look around. This is what Schnee is doing to Atlas. He's destroying this Kingdom from within. Everything it was built on. If you want to serve your Kingdom, fight back!”

“Drop his Aura.” Ciel ordered.

One of the soldiers raised his rifle and shot Ironwood in the leg. Ironwood cried out in pain. The soldier fired again, and this time, Ironwood's Aura shattered. Ciel put her pistol to Ironwood's head.

“Anything to add to that epitaph?” She asked.

Ironwood glared up at her in fury. Ciel fired. The soldiers let Ironwood's body drop to the ground.

“No!” Flynt screamed, “No!”

Ciel walked over to Flynt and put the gun to his head.

“Ma'am...” One of the soldiers began.

“Like I said,” Ciel told him, “I decide what necessary means.”

Flynt squeezed his eyes shut. Ciel placed the tip of the pistol against his forehead. Just as her finger closed around the trigger, she spotted a silver blur of movement to her left. She turned just in time to see the underside of Mercury's boot, before she was blown across the room. The pistol was knocked out of her hands by the impact, and fell tumbling towards Flynt. She slammed into the far wall, her head hitting first, and fell to the ground unconscious. Flynt's eyes snapped open, and locked on to the falling pistol. The soldiers in the room were raising their weapons at Mercury in a panic. Flynt snatched the pistol out of the air, accidentally taking hold of it in reverse-grip, his pinky wrapping around the trigger.

Mercury spun and fired a shot from his boot, nailing one of the soldiers in the head. The other soldiers opened fire, and Mercury and Flynt dove away from each other. Flynt fired as he flew through the air, picking off another of the soldiers. Mercury turned his dive into a roll, redirected and jumped at the remaining two soldiers in the room.

Mercury kicked one of them across the face, propelling him into the wall. The other soldier had been right behind the first, and took aim at Mercury. Mercury moved to react, but the soldier had the drop on him. A split second before the soldier fired, he was shot in the back of the head. His own shot went wild, barely winging Mercury. Mercury looked over to Flynt, was was lying on the floor, pistol held properly now, still aiming upwards. Mercury looked about, and for the first time, noticed Ironwood.

“Ahh, shit.” Mercury growled.

Flynt fought his way up to his feet, holding his ribs. Swearing under his breath, he stumbled over to where Ciel was laying. He aimed the pistol at her head. Mercury turned towards the door at the sound of more soldiers storming into the building. He took off towards the door to the back of the building.

“Come on, Flynt, we gotta go, man.” Mercury said.

“Not until-” Flynt began.

More soldiers charged into the room, weapons ready. They saw Flynt and took aim.

“Shit!” Flynt shouted.

He snapped up the pistol and opened fire on the advancing troops. The soldiers scrambled for cover as Flynt and Mercury dashed out the door. They sprinted down the short hallway to the back exit to the building. Flynt noticed the pistol was empty and tossed it aside. The hallway turned up ahead, but had a window that lead right into the back of the building. Mercury dove through it, and Flynt followed. 527 Mangrove Street had a small backyard with a fence, with a dilapidated, unoccupied house on the other side.

“Come on, follow me,” Flynt told Mercury.

They charged across the backyard. No soldiers had come back here yet. One of the bullheads hovering over the building caught sight of them, and turned to fly over to them. Mercury and Flynt leapt over the fence, rolled into their landings, and kept running. The bullhead came about, the side-door opening to reveal a soldier wearing an exo-suit, wielding a heavy machine gun. He opened fire, the bullets ripping up the ground at their feet. Mercury swore in surprise. Flynt reached the backdoor of the rundown old house and shoulder-checked it open, mid-stride. Mercury followed him in.

“Come on,” Flynt said, “Crawlspace. I just hope they haven't blown it yet.”

“What?!” Mercury asked.

“Just shut up and follow me!” Flynt yelled.

The door to the crawlspace under an old staircase was laying open. There was a hole in the floor, the board that had been concealing it tossed aside. Flynt reached the hole and jumped down it without hesitation, arms pinned close to his sides so he'd fit. Mercury followed suit.

Mercury reached the bottom of the hole, which opened up into a long, dark tunnel. Flynt had barely managed to get out of the way to avoid Mercury landing on him. Mercury took in his surroundings, noting the cramped tunnel, the cheap rope ladder leading down from the hole, and the packages of high explosives attached to the walls. There was a resistance fighter a short ways down the tunnel, looking back, holding a detonator.

“Whoa!” Mercury shouted.

“Oh! Oh my God!” The resistance fighter shouted, “Flynt! My finger was on the button, man!”

Flynt and Mercury rushed down the tunnel, away from the bombs. They could hear movement up above.

“Is anybody else coming?” The resistance fighter asked.

“No,” Flynt said, between deep breaths, “Everybody else is arrested, or- or dead.”

“Ironwood?” The fighter asked.

Flynt shook his head.

Heavy footsteps came from above. The three of them looked back at the tunnel entrance. The soldier in the exo-suit dropped down from above, landing hard enough to shake the ground. He looked down the tunnel, saw them, and laughed maniacally, brandishing his machine gun. The resistance fighter hit the button. The soldier vanished in an explosion that shook the tunnel around them, and sent a wave of dust flying at them. The three of them shielded their eyes, waited for the dust to settle, and looked again. The tunnel entrance had completely collapsed.

“Well,” Mercury said, “Now what?”

“They'll either dig up the tunnel again,” Flynt said, “Or start a search for the exit. Either way, we need to get out of here before they do. Let's go.”

 

* * *

 

An hour or so later, Mercury and Flynt stood by the side of the road on a hill that overlooked most of Mantle. Military bullheads were combing the sprawling slum, their searchlights scanning every street. Flynt leaned on the barricade, staring out at the city he'd been fighting for. From here, you could see over the perimeter wall of the Kingdom. Just beyond the bounds of the city was an endless landscape of ice. Countless Grimm were frozen in that ice, their claws stretched out towards the city, like macabre statues that stretched back to the horizon. Mercury sat on the barricade next to him, his thumb lightly tapping the screen of the scroll in his hand.

“I was trying to fight an entire army,” Flynt said, “Didn't accomplish anything but hiding for a few months. It took them minutes to take us apart once they found us.”

“Mm-hmm,” Mercury said.

“Ironwood, man,” Flynt said, shaking his head, “I can't believe it. He deserved better than that.”

“Yeah,” Mercury said, “That sucks. That guy was paying me.”

“That really how you feel about it?” Flynt asked.

“...no.” Mercury said.

“Weiss and Ruby got captured,” Flynt said, “That's obvious. And Ironwood is dead, and the safehouse is gone. This is hopeless. What the Hell am I supposed to do?”

“No idea.” Mercury said.

“How did they find us? Weiss and Ruby wouldn't have talked,” Flynt said, “No matter what, they wouldn't have talked.”

“I'm sure.” Mercury said.

“The resistance, the people we were protecting,” Flynt said, “They're scattered. I'm going to have to search the whole city. Find out who's still alive. Who avoided capture.”

“Best of luck with that,” Mercury said.

Flynt stopped for a moment, and stared at Mercury.

“Is this the part where you walk away?” Flynt asked, “Pretend you have no stake in this?”

Mercury stared at him for a moment. He glanced out at the cityscape, with the dozens of airships looming over it.

“This scroll,” Mercury said, “It's the one Ironwood got from Winter. I swiped it. There's data on it that's still encrypted. Everything we've been running around for... might be right here.”

“Can you access it?” Flynt asked, “Hack into it?”

“No,” Mercury said, “But I know a guy. I'm going to go find him.”

“You find out anything, you'll call me?”

“Yeah, why not?” Mercury asked, “If not, you could always go to the test, and see for yourself.”

“Yeah,” Flynt said, “That's been the only good plan we've had all along.”

Mercury stood up, and took a few steps down the road.

“See ya, Flynt,” He said over his shoulder.

“Yeah. Hey, Merc,” Flynt said, “You run into Soleil, you leave her for me.”

“You want to kill her?” Mercury asked, “Then you best beat me to her.”

With that, Mercury pocketed the scroll and strode off down the road.

 


	14. Chapter 14

Weiss laid back on the cot, staring at the ceiling of the holding cell. For such a confined, indignant place to be held, the mattress was surprisingly comfortable. Weiss's eyes traced the edges of the ceiling, paying special attention to the gas emitters. She'd been running numbers in her head, trying to calculate how much Aura Winter and her would have if they blew up the cell while still in it. She couldn't figure a way it would be a viable escape plan. Ruby would have gone for it, that much Weiss knew.

“So, what's it like in the rest of the world?” Winter asked.

Winter was laying on the cot on the other side of the cell. She hadn't spoken much since the dinner the night before.

“What do you mean?” Weiss asked.

“I haven't left Atlas in six months,” Winter said, “And there's almost no communication in and out. What's going on out there?”

“It's... well, it's tense,” Weiss said, “The other Kingdoms are trying to work together. Grimm numbers are estimated to be around 20% of what they were when Salem died. Everybody is trying to take advantage of the leeway. People are concerned about Atlas.”

“Concerned? Or afraid?”

“The Kingdom is so isolated now, nobody knows what's going on here. They don't know if Whitley is shutting out the rest of the Kingdoms, or preparing an attack. Everybody wants the expansion of borders to be peaceful, but everybody's afraid of Atlas turning it violent.”

“Menagerie?” Winter asked.

“Menagerie is doing well,” Weiss said, “It should be, with Blake leading it. Their Huntsman Academy is up and running. There are plans underway for the construction of a CCTS Tower. It's its own Kingdom, now.”

“So Blake has been busy,” Winter said, “When was the last time RWBY was all together?”

“A few months after Salem,” Weiss said.

At this, Winter pulled herself up, and looked over to Weiss.

“That long?” She asked, “That's a shame.”

“We're still a team,” Weiss said, “Not many teams last as long as we have. We lasted a lot longer than I think most of us expected to.”

“Not many teams have the bond you all have,” Winter mused, “Not everybody... can trust each other like you.”

“Winter...” Weiss said, “What Ironwood did...”

“He did was what he thought was best for the mission,” Winter said, “I understand that. I just thought... he'd think it was something else.”

“Look, you'll see him again,” Weiss said, sitting up, “And when you do, you can let him explain himself, or rip a strip off him. Both, if it's what you feel like.”

“What if we don't?” Winter asked, “What if he didn't make it out?”

“He must have.”

“How do you know?”

“Because if he didn't, I have no idea how we're going to win this.”

The door to the cell room opened. Weiss and Winter looked out through the glass, and saw Whitley step in, accompanied, as always, by several armed guards. Weiss and Winter exchanged a look, then both got to their feet. Whitley walked up to the glass, with a smile.

“Good morning, Weiss,” Whitley said, “Good morning, Winter.”

“What do you want?” Weiss asked.

“Well, somebody's less than cheerful this morning,” Whitley said, “Didn't sleep well?”

Weiss didn't answer.

“How many people did you kill at the resistance safehouse?” Winter demanded.

“Specialist Soleil hasn't reported back yet,” Whitley said, “We'll find out the fate of James Ironwood together. That'll be fun. Well, somebody open this door, already.”

The guard at the control console hit a button, and the cell door slid open. The guards tensed their grips on their weapons a bit.

“Neither of you are allowed to attack me,” Whitley ordered, “Or attempt to escape.”

“How often do you need to use that command?” Weiss asked, “It wears off over time, doesn't it?”

“Over time, or distance, yes,” Whitley said, “I'm not afraid to tell you that, because I'm hoping that eventually, I will not have to force you to stay at my side. Let's go.”

“Where are we going?” Winter asked.

“We're going to the war room,” Whitley said, “There's work to be done, leading Atlas, and I want you both to take part.”

“You just want to put on a show of wielding power?” Winter asked, “Like a child who's found his father's gun?”

“I want to show you what I do,” Whitley said, an edge of irritation in his voice, “I want you to understand how I do my job, so that you're prepared when we- all three of us- share leadership.”

“You never did that with me.” Winter said.

“Well, it just wouldn't be the same without Weiss here, would it?” Whitley asked.

Whitley lead them out of the cell room, and towards the elevators. They stepped in, Whitley in front, Weiss and Winter behind him, and a row of guards on either side. Whitley hit the highest button on the control panel, pressed his thumb to a scanner, and the elevator started upwards. They rode in uncomfortable silence up to the highest floor. The elevator doors opened to reveal a bustling war room, filled with personnel at consoles, holograms, and telephones. In the center of the room was a large meeting table, with a holo-projector at its center. The projector was producing a large hologram of Remnant above it, with various points labelled on it, including Kingdoms, important locations, troop movements, and the like. One of the personnel, dressed in a high-ranking military uniform, saw Whitley and stepped forward, saluting.

“President-General Schnee, sir,” He said, “We're entering final preparation stage, sir. We're ahead of schedule.”

“Don't be rude, Foreman,” Whitley warned, casually.

The man looked about, confusedly, for just a moment.

“Oh, I-” Foreman stammered, “Ms. Schnee, Ms. Schnee.”

He bowed his head a bit while addressing the two sisters. Weiss rolled her eyes.

“That's better,” Whitley said, “Tell the nano-production factories to prep for Phase 2. I want them constructing more Harbinger weapons as soon as the test is confirmed successful.”

“Yes, sir.”

Another man came up to Whitley, holding a clipboard in one hand.

“President-General, Ms. Schnee, Ms. Schnee,” He began, “Sir, I wanted to re-address the matter of the test. Step 1 is still extremely risky. What if Step 1 succeeds and Step 2 fails?”

“Step 1 is necessary to demonstrate the destructive power of the weapon,” Whitley said, “Step 2 will not fail. If it does, well, it's your job to ensure that it doesn't. Remember that.”

Weiss and Winter looked at each other in confusion. Weiss shrugged. Whitley continued to the table, and looked up at the hologram. Yet another military official came to him, expectantly.

“Have we confirmed the signal on the south-east?” Whitley asked.

“Yes, sir,” The official said, “It is as we suspected. It's a stealth airship, performing scans of Solitas. Mistralian in origin.”

This time Weiss and Winter looked at each other in surprise. Whitley looked back at them.

“The other Kingdoms are starting to pry into our business,” He said.

“You put up a bunch of walls, close yourself off from the outside, what did you expect?” Winter asked.

“Sir, so far they'll have only located a few of our outposts,” The official said, “They haven't come close to the city.”

“Wernher Fields?”

“Secure, sir.”

“Can we intercept that airship?” Whitley asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright, I want it destroyed.”

Weiss, bit her lip, and got an idea. She turned to the official.

“Ignore that order,” She told him.

A few of the personnel in the room looked around in surprise. An order from Whitley being disrespected was obviously a rarity. Whitley, Winter, and the official all looked at Weiss in confusion.

“Weiss, you're not actually in charge of anything yet...” Whitley began.

“It's obvious why you want Winter and I on your side,” Weiss said to him, “You don't know what you're doing.”

A stunned gasp passed through the room. Whitley ran his tongue along his front teeth, then begrudgingly motioned for her to continue.

“You've detected a stealth craft,” Weiss said, “Do they know you've detected them?”

Whitley glanced to the official.

“No, ma'am, I mean- no, sir.”

“So their stealth technology is ineffective, and you jump at the chance to show them that, by shooting them down?”

“Weiss, we can't allow them to fly all over our continent with impunity,” Whitley said.

“Track the signal, and create a predictive model of where it's likely to go,” Winter said, “Make sure those places are ready to hide anything you don't want the enemy seeing from aerial view. They'll see your bases and outposts, but will have inaccurate tactical information. If they stumble onto something important, be ready to shoot them down as a last resort.”

Whitley considered it for a second. He looked to the official.

“It would be... very advantageous if the enemy continued using an ineffective stealth system, sir.” The official said.

“Alright, cancel the interception,” Whitley said, “I want a full list of intel that that ship could obtain.”

The official nodded and went about his business. Whitley turned to Weiss and Winter with a sly grin.

“I understand what you're trying to do,” He said, “You're questioning my orders, trying to undermine me in front of my men. I'm sorry to say it, but I'm not that egotistical. This is exactly why I wanted you here. The Schnees, working together. This is how it always should have been.”

“Sir, Specialist Soleil just arrived at the Manor,” A technician at one of the consoles reported, “She's requesting permission to land.”

“Excellent,” Whitley said, “Send her to my office. Weiss, Winter, come along.”

Whitley lead them out of the war room, and down the hall. The guards accompanied them.

“I hope you're ready for disappointment, Whitley,” Winter said.

“Are you?” Whitley replied.

They entered Whitley's office, formerly the office of his father. The portraits of Jacques and the Schnee family had been removed, replaced with murals and paintings of great Atlesian generals and battles in Atlas's history. Whitley sat down in the opulent chair behind the desk, and motioned for Weiss and Winter to stand beside him.

“You can go,” He told the guards, “Wait outside.”

The guards obliged and left. The three of them were left alone in the office, in an uncomfortable silence. Weiss looked about, and noticed one painting in particular. It showed an army of Great War-era Atlas soldiers advancing through a desert, with the armies of Vacuo fleeing from them. Many of the Vacuo soldiers depicted, Weiss noticed, were horrendous caricatures of Faunus.

“The Vacuo campaign?” She asked.

Whitley looked up from his desk at her, then followed her gaze to the painting.

“Yes,” He said, “I picked that one to remind me what we're fighting for.”

“Atlas lost in Vacuo,” Winter said.

“Atlas would have won,” Whitley said, “We were on track to winning the whole war. Vacuo and what was left of Vale would have been puppet-states, just like Mistral. It was an Aura-user, the much lauded “Warrior King” that ruined it all.”

“He fought so that the Kingdoms would be equal,” Weiss said.

“And is inexplicably treated as a hero for it,” Whitley said, “Atlas could have unified the world with that war. Instead, the king ensured the pre-war tensions would continue, and nothing was resolved. He even gave each Kingdom one of those damned “relics”, just so that Atlas's technology- an advantage we _earned_ \- wouldn't matter. You put a group of mortal enemies in a room, give each a loaded gun, then walk out. Is the fact that the playing field is level going to keep things peaceful?”

“If people...” Weiss began, “...are willing to work together-”

“So the short answer is no.” Whitley said.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Whitley called.

The door opened, and Ciel Soleil stepped in. She looked around, a tad nervously. She clearly wasn't accustomed to being in the office of the President-General. She swallowed, then walked towards the desk, giving Weiss and Winter a glance.

“Sir,” She said, saluting.

“Soleil, at ease,” Whitley said, “Was the attack a success?”

“Yes, sir,” Ciel said, “I will be performing a full debrief immediately.”

“Well, give us a sneak peak,” Whitley said.

“13 resistance members were arrested,” Ciel said, “8 were killed by necessary lethal force, 12 soldiers were killed by the resistance. The remaining resistance evaded capture, but we are working to track them down.”

Weiss closed her eyes, and sighed. The resistance had barely any hope of fighting against Schnee's forces to begin with. Now they might not have any hope at all. She could only hope that the civilians they'd been protecting had gotten out.

“And Ironwood?” Whitley asked.

Weiss allowed herself a fleeting moment of hope.

“Dead, sir,” Ciel reported, “I executed him myself.”

Weiss winced, and looked at Winter. Winter seemed to be having trouble breathing. Her hands began to shake. Ciel noticed Winter's reaction, and looked away. Whitley was grinning with satisfaction. Ciel reached into a pouch on her side, and drew a massive revolver, holding it by the barrel. She placed it on the desk in front of Whitley.

“His weapon, sir,” She said.

“Look at that,” Whitley said, picking up the weapon with both hands, “Look at the size of this thing. Weiss, look at this. It's ridiculous. Did you kill him with this, by any chance?”

“Uh, no, sir,” Ciel said, “I used my standard side-arm.”

“Ahh, that's fine,” Whitley said, “Would have been what that traitorous asshole deserved, but him being dead is the important thing. Good work.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Head to the debrief, then,” Whitley said, “Then I want you back out there, looking for the rest of them.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ciel turned away from the desk and, before walking away, looked at Weiss and Winter. Winter was doing her best to stare down Ciel, fighting back a hint of tears. Weiss was glaring, her fist clenched.

“It is good to see you home, Winter, and Weiss,” Ciel said, “I know you had... respect for Ironwood. I do not apologize for killing him, but I sympathize with-”

In a blur, Winter pounced on Ciel. She grabbed her by the throat, swung her around, and slammed her down on Whitley's desk. One of the chairs in front of the desk was knocked askew. The back of Ciel's head hit the edge of the desk with a heavy thud. Whitley jumped back in surprise. Winter snatched at the revolver, but Whitley had pulled it out of her reach. Instead, she snatched a pen off his desk, and put it to Ciel's throat.

“Winter, freeze!” Whitley ordered.

Winter stopped moving immediately. She still had a death grip around Ciel's neck. The hand holding the pen was trembling, as Winter devoted all of her willpower, trying to thrust. Her eyes darted to the side, looking at Weiss. There was a pleading look in her eyes. Weiss could tell what Winter wanted her to do. Whitley hadn't ordered Weiss to stop, and wouldn't be able to before she punched the end of the pen, sending it right through Ciel's neck. Weiss bit her lip, and shook her head.

“ _Please._ ” Winter whispered, unable to move her jaw.

“Winter, drop the pen,” Whitley said, “Let her go.”

The hand holding the pen snapped open, and it fell to the floor, bouncing off Ciel's chest. Winter released her hold on Ciel, and Ciel stood up. She put a hand to the back of her head, wincing in pain.

“What was that?!” She shouted, in a panic.

Her eyes darted between Winter and Whitley. She made a quick attempt to regain her composure.

“S-sir,” She stammered, “What was that? What just happened?”

“Get out.” Whitley said.

Ciel took a moment to look between the three of them. Whitley hadn't used his Semblance in the order. Eventually, Ciel nodded, and hurried from the room. Winter stared after her, in rage. Ciel closed the door behind her, and Whitley put his head in his hands.

“Winter,” He growled, “You make things so damn difficult!”

“How dare you you even touch that weapon?!” Winter shot back at him, “It belonged to a better man than you'll ever be!”

“Winter, if you can't be trusted to leave your cell, I'll leave you there,” Whitley said, “Thank you, Weiss, for not participating in her little outburst.”

Winter glared at Weiss. Weiss gave her a helpless shrug.

“I want her dead,” Winter said, turning back to Whitley, “You want us to work together? I want Soleil dead.”

“You don't get to demand-” Whitley began, running a hand through his hair in frustration, “...Look, you know what, maybe she will die. Maybe she'll have to, because you just forced me to use my Semblance in front of her. I am trying to control the number of people who know about that little ace in the hole, and you're screwing that up royally.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry,” Winter spat, “You can't let anybody know about the only useful skill you have, because it would ruin your little propaganda campaign against other people who are better than you. You pathetic little snake.”

“I'm not having this conversation with you,” Whitley said, “I don't need to. Not anymore. And I'm not going down a list of every little thing I have to forbid you from doing for you to behave. You're going back to your cell.”

Whitley picked up the phone on his desk, and called for the guards. Two of them came in.

“Take Winter back to her cell,” Whitley ordered, “Winter, don't resist or try to escape.”

The guards took Winter by either arm and began leading her out. She looked over to Weiss.

“I'm sorry,” Weiss mouthed.

They left the room, and the door closed behind them. Whitley sighed, opened up the top drawer of his desk, and drew out a bottle of rum. He grabbed a glass from the drawer, set it on the desk, and poured.

“Makes things so difficult,” He said again.

Seeing an opportunity, Weiss stepped forward. She picked up the pen from where it had fallen, and placed it back on the desk. She straightened the chair that had been knocked aside, and sat down.

“Oh, thank you,” Whitley said, “You agree with me, right? That was a bit of an overreaction?”

“Ironwood was important to her, you know that.” Weiss said.

“Yes, well, family is important to me,” Whitley said, “I knew she'd take it hard, but...”

“What are you going to do about Soleil?” Weiss asked.

“I don't know,” Whitley said, “Give her a promotion, probably. I'm not executing her to appease some childish sense of retribution.”

“Winter won't let this go easily,” Weiss said.

“No,” Whitley said, “Could you talk to her? I have this weird feeling she'll listen to you more than me.”

“I'll try,” Weiss said, “Do you have another glass?”

Whitley sipped at his rum, gritted as the rum went down, then nodded. He opened the drawer again, grabbed another glass, and poured some of the rum into it. He slid the glass across the table. He put the bottle away as Weiss picked up the glass and took a swig. He glanced down at the revolver.

“I feel like I could get that thing mounted,” He said, “Or I could carry it around myself, I suppose.”

“That thing?” Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow, “Not really your style, is it? Besides, look at it. It's bigger than you. You fire that, it'll probably knock you backwards through a wall.”

Whitley had been sipping his drink. He choked a little as he laughed.

“Yeah,” He said, “You're not wrong.”

There was a quiet moment. Internally, Weiss's mind was racing. What would make him talk? What would make him trust her? Whitley glanced around the office, then back to Weiss. He smiled to himself.

“What?” Weiss asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Whitley said, “Just a funny thought. You're sitting where I was.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow, looked at her chair, then back to Whitley.

“Where you...?”

“Yeah,” Whitley said, smiling as if recalling a pleasant memory, “I was sitting there. Father was sitting right here.”

Weiss felt a chill run through her. Whitley tossed back the rest of his drink.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Weiss was lead through the basement, with guards flanking her on all sides. She'd spent several hours with Whitley, watching him work, discussing his various plans and strategies. His solution to every problem Atlas faced seemed to be the tightening of government control. It was clear what he was doing; he had little experience in leadership, and was attempting to show strength through raw, excessive force. Weiss had been doing a balancing act of going along with his ideas, and attempting to steer him towards subtler options. She felt like she may actually have made some progress.

Eventually, he told her that he had business to attend to elsewhere in the Kingdom, and that she would be returned to her cell. He'd promised that once she could be trusted, she could have a room. She could have her same old bedroom, if that's what she wanted. He was quick to bring up their meeting on the roof anytime Weiss questioned his security measures.

So, Weiss was lead back to the holding cell. She reached the door, and one of the guards punched in the code. Weiss watched his hand closely. It was a ten digit sequence. Weiss was pretty sure she got it right, and worked to commit it to memory. It might be useful, assuming the code didn't change regularly. The door opened, and Weiss walked in.

Winter was seated on her cot, staring at the holo-screen being projected on the glass barrier. It was another newsreel, this one showing the view from an airship hovering over the resistance headquarters. The place looked to have been half destroyed by gunfire and explosives. The header at the bottom read “Military Defeats Resistance In Mantle.” Winter looked from the screen, to Weiss. Her eyes were reddened- she'd been crying. She gave Weiss a bitter look, then turned back to the screen.

“-and thanks to the heroic efforts of the military,” The newscaster was saying, “The raid was completed with minimal casualties. However, several resistance criminals refused to surrender, making lethal force necessary. The military has reported that no resistance members are known to have escaped. Patrols currently going on in Mantle are merely a cautionary measure.”

Weiss stood in front of the glass barrier, and the panel slid open. She walked in, and the panel closed behind her. She sat down across from Winter.

“I hope you enjoyed your time with Whitley,” Winter said, not looking Weiss in the eye.

“Don't give me that,” Weiss retorted, “We had a plan. I was trying to follow it. You tried to kill a woman in his office.”

“She killed Ironwood.”

“On Whitley's instructions. Are you going to throw away any chance of stopping him, just to kill one of his grunts?”

Winter didn't respond. Weiss gave her a minute. More images of the raid played on the holo-screen. Weiss noticed the ridiculous number of weapons being carried out of the house. Far more than had ever actually been there.

“Likely a dozen attacks on civilian targets were prevented by this raid,” The newscaster said, “This is a great day for Atlas, after the recent attack by these dissidents on the CCTS Tower.”

“We let Whitley show us what Harbinger is,” Winter said, “We figure out how to stop it. Then we find a way to remove him from power, and beat the shit out of him for good measure. But no matter what, no matter how this ends, Ciel dies.”

“Agreed,” Weiss said.

“She could have been dead already, but I suppose it can wait.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Weiss said, “I really, really wanted to do it.”

Winter looked at her for a moment, then sighed.

“I'm sorry,” She said, “I'm sorry. It was impulsive, it was stupid. I almost ruined the whole thing, I...”

“You just lost somebody you cared about,” Weiss said, “We've both been there before.”

“But you didn't... you didn't...” Winter trailed off.

“It's okay, Winter. This.... this has been a Hell of a week.”

“With the resistance gone, or scattered, it might be just us,” Winter said, “Even if anybody is still out there, we're the only ones who have a chance at this.”

“She said, from inside a jail cell,” Weiss noted.

“I didn't say it was a good chance,” Winter said, “But it's us, or... Ruby. Wherever she is. Oh God, Weiss, I haven't even had time to think about her.”

“I've been trying not to,” Weiss admitted, “If I did, I'd be panicking. I'm terrified to guess what's happening to her right now, but, I have to believe she's alive. She's tough. She won't let them break her.”

 

* * *

 

Ruby couldn't see. She had a bag pulled down over her head, plunging her into darkness. She could barely feel her hands from the cuffs cutting off her circulation. Two soldiers on either side of her each had a firm grasp on either bicep. A rifle was being pressed into the small of her back as she was lead blindly to wherever she was headed. She concentrated on controlling her breathing, and her heart rate. She'd been in worse binds than this.

A gruff voice, a soldier, was barking orders to the men leading her. She was dragged across a large room, she could sense, rather than see, that it was about the size of a gymnasium. Quite abruptly, she was stopped. Ruby looked around, but there was still nothing but blackness under the bag. She heard a jumble of rattling metal, maybe a key ring. Somebody grabbed her forearm, and she heard the mechanism of her handcuffs clicking. Suddenly, her wrists were free, at least from the cuffs. The soldiers manipulated her arms, raising them above her head. Fresh restraints were locked onto her wrists. They felt heavier, more like shackles. Once her arms were secured, somebody grabbed the bag and pulled it from her head. Intense light struck her eyes, and she squinted. Eventually, she blinked, and everything started coming into focus.

She was indeed in a large room. It was mostly empty, save for various unidentifiable machines and devices gathered in the center, where she was. She was shackled to a simple archway of metal bars, with chains hanging from above that ended in the shackles on her wrists. Floodlights were aimed at the spot where she was forced to stand. Cameras and recording devices were trained on her. A variety of personnel were gathered around her, soldiers and scientists. Ruby grimaced, and glared back at them all. She'd suffered worse indignities than this.

Directly in front of her, there was a large, boxy machine, that somewhat resembled a turret of some form. It was a haphazardly constructed, clearly prototypical device. It had various components hanging out the sides of it, along with jumbles of wires that snaked along the ground to power sources and other devices of unclear purpose. One bunch of wires ran to a computer on a table nearby. Several of the scientists were watching the screen intently.

Ruby looked up at the shackles. They weren't simply metal. They had a variety of components attached to them, with equally formless construction. Ruby couldn't tell what their intended purpose was. Some sort of electronic lock. She looked around the room and saw that there were only five or so armed guards. Immediately, she moved to use Speed to escape from the shackles. The instant she activated her Semblance, pain wracked her body. The shackles had electrocuted her, locking up every muscle in her body. She cried out in surprise.

One of the scientists, an older, balding man with a pair of round, rimless glasses, looked up from the computer and grinned. He walked around the table, stepped over the wires and walked up to her.

“Semblance detection,” He said, “We spent a good while working that out. It's useful when a specific Semblance makes one difficult to restrain.”

“Think a few jolts will stop me breaking out of this thing?” Ruby asked.

“That's the spirit,” He said, “Keep up the bravado. It'll make crushing it more satisfying. Gentleman, let's start with, oh... 400 kilohertz.”

One of the scientists nodded. He typed something into the keyboard in front of him. The turret-like device began humming up.

“Think you're going to torture information out of me?” Ruby spat, “Show me what you've got.”

“Raise your Aura, girl,” The scientist said, stepping out of the way of the turret, “Or this is likely to kill you.”

Ruby raised her Aura. She gritted her teeth. The machine continued to hum for a few seconds, then, without warning, fired a bolt of energy. It slammed into Ruby's chest, and it felt like it was ripping through her. Her entire body exploded into agonizing pain. She screamed, and pulled against the chains. The beam of energy cut out, leaving the machine smoking. Ruby's entire body trembled from the pain. It was like every part of her was on fire, inside and out. Beads of sweat ran down her forehead. She breathed heavily, slumping against the chains for a moment.

“If we wanted information, it wouldn't take us long to extract it,” The scientist said, “Unfortunately for you, this is more of a weapons test. See, the thing about anti-Aura weapons is you need somebody with an Aura to know whether or not they work. Aura blocks almost all physical damage, as you well know. But certain forms of attack are capable of penetrating. And nothing penetrates Aura as effectively as pain. Bring it up to 500 kilohertz.”

Ruby took a deep breath. She was hanging from the chains, her legs laying lax on the floor. Gritting her teeth again, she pulled herself up. She planted her feet, twisted her arms and took hold of the chains. She looked the elderly scientist dead in the eyes as the turret hummed to life again. She had suffered worse pain than this.

 

* * *

 

 

Mercury strode through the front doors of the apartment building. It was a somewhat upper-class apartment complex in Atlas; a respectable distance to the border wall of Mantle, but not so far that you couldn't see the sprawling slum from the upper floors. There were a few Atlas residents gathered in the lobby, drinking lattes and chatting amongst themselves. Mercury walked past them, and headed towards the elevator. He overheard snippets of conversation as he went on his way.

“Yes, I agree that Ironwood did well to serve Atlas as a General,” One woman was saying, “But he should have accepted the removal of his rank. His death was well deserved for his crimes.”

“How are we supposed to believe all those crimes were his?” A man replied, “There's still no evidence directly linking the CCTS bombing to Ironwood or the resistance.”

“Honey, quiet,” A third voice, “We don't doubt the official account of events. Not here.”

Mercury tapped the elevator button, and tapped his foot waiting for the doors to open. The elevator doors dinged, slid open, and Mercury stepped in. He hit the button for the sixth floor, and the elevator began to rise.

Mercury had spent the last day hearing the people of Atlas talk about Ironwood, and the news of his end. He'd always had something like an obligation to dislike Ironwood. Mercury was an assassin for fun and profit, and Ironwood was self-righteous man of the law. That's how Mercury had seen it, at least. In the past few months, he'd seen a side of the man that had surprised him. Mercury had had him pegged for another general who's so-called bravery was dependant on the army he could send to fight for him. Instead, Ironwood had fought for what he believed was right against the very armies he once lead. Mercury would never admit it to anyone, but he had a sneaking respect for that.

Mercury pulled out the scroll that he had technically stolen from Ironwood. The files downloaded onto it were still locked behind the highest levels of encryption Atlas could muster. There was only person Mercury knew who could break encryption like that, and Mercury was on his way up to meet him right now. Or, so he thought.

The elevator lurched to an unexpected halt. Mercury looked around in surprise, pocketing the scroll. No emergency lights or alarms had activated on the elevator. Mercury reached for the “door open” button.

“Hello, Mercury.” Came a voice through the speakers in the ceiling of the elevator.

“What the Hell?” Mercury asked, “Theo, is that you?”

“Welcome to my fortress,” Theo said, “Or as close as you'll get to it.”

“Fortress? Theo, it's an apart- nevermind, look, I have a job for you.”

“There's an explosive device connected to the cables of that elevator,” Theo said, “Tell me how you found where I live, or I will very quickly send you back to the lobby.”

“There's a what?!” Mercury demanded, looking up, “You put- does the management know you rigged their elevator with explosives? I'd think that be forbidden by your lease. I mean, not that, specifically...”

“Start talking.”

“I tracked down your address after you made that search program,” Mercury said, “You never gave me another way to contact you. Not a good way to run a business, I might add.”

“The assassin tracked my location, how reassuring,” Theo said, “Perhaps it would be best to eliminate this threat, yes?”

“Theo, blowing up this elevator won't kill me, but it will righteously piss me off,” Mercury said, “I will take the stairs up to your place, bust your door down, and kick your head up your own ass. Or, I can pay you to do another job for me.”

There was a moment of silence.

“What kind of job?”

“I have a scroll here with some encrypted files on it, I need to get into them.”

“Oh, pfft. That's easy. I can do that,” Theo said, “Come on up. I was lying about the explosives.”

The elevator lurched again, and continued upwards. Mercury shook his head in disbelief. It reached the sixth floor, and the doors opened. Mercury went down the hall to Theo's apartment. He knocked, and listened to the brief scuffle of noise inside. The door cracked open, and Mercury was greet by the sight of a sliver of Theo's face, and the barrel of a handgun pointed out the door. Theo looked him over, shrugged, and opened the door.

“Always this paranoid?” Mercury asked.

“Properly paranoid,” Theo said, not lowering his gun, “For all I know, you work for Schnee.”

“Yeah, I work for Schnee, which is why I hired you multiple times to hack into Schnee's network and give information to the resistance.”

“A fair point,” Theo said, “But you spent time with the resistance, yes? At their safehouse? Then, their safehouse gets raided. How do I know you didn't sell them out?”

“I didn't,” Mercury said, “And if I was going to betray you, I wouldn't give your location to Schnee so that he could send his goons. I would just kill you.”

“Hmm, true,” Theo said, “Alright, come in. An encrypted scroll, you said?”

Mercury stepped in, and Theo closed the door behind him. The apartment was filthy. Candy wrappers and empty soda cans were strewn everywhere. There was no furniture except for a mattress in one corner, and a computer set-up that dominated half the room. There was a pungent odour that turned Mercury's stomach. He withdrew the scroll from his pocket, and Theo snatched it. The hacker turned it about in his hands, brow furrowed as if he'd never seen such a device before. He turned it on, deftly navigated the UI, and found the file folders.

“Hmm, yes, government encryption, ooh, high-level stuff,” Theo said, “Ugh, search program wouldn't have broken this. This will take some time. Would you like some coffee?”

Theo motioned towards one corner of the computer table, pointing out a coffee pot that Mercury hadn't even noticed amidst the garbage and piles of nondescript computer parts.

“Uh, how old is it?” Mercury asked.

“It's Tuesday today, yes?”

“It's Thursday.”

“Hmm.”

Theo took the scroll over to the computer, and plugged it in at a docking station. Various computer monitors blinked to life, opening windows and displaying lines of code.

“Very advanced encryption,” Theo repeated, “Difficult job. Hmm, 50,000 Lien.”

“It's one scroll. 15,000.” Mercury scoffed.

“No, no, no, 50,000. This is top secret information, I imagine. Substantial legal risks.”

“Legal risk? You're already looking at a death sentence if you're ever caught. 20,000.”

“40.”

“No, 20.”

“25?”

“Done.”

Theo clasped his fingers, and cracked his knuckles.

“Well, then,” Theo said, “Time to find out what Harbinger is. That is what is on this scroll, no?”

“Let's find out.” Mercury said.

 


	16. Chapter 16

Weiss and Winter were seated, once again, in their holding cell. Each had a tray on their lap with their dinner on it. Immaculately prepared dishes that didn't gel with their confined quarters. They ate mechanically, only occasionally glancing over to each other. Winter had been staring at the glass barrier, her eyes tracing along the seals. Weiss noticed this, and looked at her, an eyebrow raised. Winter glanced back, shrugged, and returned to her meal.

“Whatever he shows us tomorrow, that's not the end of it,” Winter said, “We still need to figure out how we're going to stop him.”

“There's nothing we can do now but wait,” Weiss said, “Be patient.”

The guard at the desk on the other side of the glass put a finger to his ear. He nodded, tapped a few buttons on his keyboard.

“Send him in,” He said.

The door opened, and Whitley walked into the room, followed, as always, by his entourage of guards. The Colonel marched in behind him. Weiss and Winter set their trays aside and stood.

“Good afternoon,” Whitley said, “I'd say you've both spent quite enough time in there, would you agree?”

“Where were you?” Weiss asked, “We've been cooped up in here all day. What happened to keeping us by your side?”

“I'm a busy man. Especially now, with so much going on,” Whitley said, “Forgive my rudeness, but I had to work efficiently, without... complications.”

The last part of this statement was noticeably directed towards Winter.

“But, that aside, there's good news,” Whitley said, “We're heading out now.”

“Heading out?” Weiss repeated.

“The Harbinger test begins at dawn,” Whitley said, “We're flying out tonight. We'll be spending the night on the _Nor'easter_. Let's get going. Neither of you are allowed to attack me. Or attack anyone else, Winter.”

The door slid open. Whitley turned and walked towards the exit. Weiss and Winter followed, with the Colonel following after them. They headed out into the hallway and towards the elevator. One of the guards stepped ahead and hit the call button without Whitley having to raise a finger. The elevator opened, and the group boarded it. Whitley hit the button for the war room, scanned his thumb, and the elevator went upwards.

“You've both only known Harbinger as a threat,” Whitley said, “Something that Ironwood told you needed to be stopped. For me, its a project that's defined my work here in Atlas for several years. Appreciate that this is going to be kind of a big moment for me.”

“This had better be worth all the build-up,” Winter replied.

Whitley glanced back at her, smirking, but didn't respond.

The elevator arrived at the war room, and the doors opened. Whitley strode through the room with Weiss and Winter in tow. The war room was bustling with even more activity than before. They crossed the room, went out into the corridor, and up the stairs to the roof. They emerged onto the roof, a chill wind in the air blowing their hair about. There was a bullhead on the landing pad, solid white with military insignia; Whitley's private airship. Weiss looked up, and her eyes went wide. Hovering two hundred meters or so above the mansion was one of the most massive airships she had ever seen. It was at least 300 meters in length. Its engines were roaring, as if fighting every second to keep it aloft. Its size was so gargantuan that it seemed to blot out the sun, casting a massive shadow over Atlas. The ship was utterly bristling with massive weaponry; auto-cannons, railguns, and missile launchers. Most were mounted to the underside of the ship, pointed downwards. Near the bow, the name _Nor'easter_ was emblazoned, in lettering that looked to be almost 5 meters tall.

“Wow, Whitley,” Winter said, staring upwards, “That's gaudy, even for you.”

“There's nothing wrong with riding with a bit of style,” Whitley said.

They boarded the bullhead, and it took off, flying up towards the _Nor'easter_. Whitley sat near the front, with Weiss and Winter across from each other further back. The Colonel stood between them, gripping a safety rail on the ceiling.

“This is the ship you put Ruby on,” Weiss said.

“...yes, it is.” Whitley replied.

“Where is she now?” Weiss asked.

“She's safe,” Whitley said, “She's still alive, if that's your concern.”

“You said it depended on me whether she lived,” Weiss said.

“I'm not trying to coerce cooperation out of you,” Whitley said, “But you've put me in a very inconvenient position.”

“Can I see her?”

Whitley chuckled.

The bullhead's ascension slowed, and Weiss peered out the window to see the docking bay of the _Nor'easter_. The bullhead eased its way in, until it was in position for a set of mechanical arms to extend and clamp down on it. The door of the bullhead opened, and Whitley stepped out. The Schnee sisters and the Colonel followed him. They walked through the docking bay, which was large enough to hold several small ships. They travelled through the ship, through long corridors filled with soldiers and up winding staircases. Eventually, they came to a large blast door, with a small viewing window in the middle. Whitley put his thumb to a scanner on the wall, and the bulkhead slid upwards, opening to the bridge of the ship. The bridge consisted of a walkway that lead past rows and rows of consoles, all manned by personnel. The walkway opened to a raised platform, with massive floor-to-ceiling windows on three sides. Out these windows, one could see the skyline of the city ahead. Set in the middle of the raised platform was an ostentatiously large command chair.

The Colonel stepped onto the bridge ahead of them.

“Make way for President-General Schnee!” He declared.

All of the bridge jumped to their feet, turning towards the door and saluting. Whitley strode in, and Weiss and Winter followed him.

“Lay in a course for Wernher Fields,” Whitley ordered, “Take us directly over the city. Keep us at minimum speed as long as we're in visual range.”

The members of the bridge crew confirmed the order, and set to work. The _Nor'easter_ began to move forward, gliding so smoothly that its motion could barely be perceived. Whitley walked to the viewing platform, and sat down in the command chair. Weiss and Winter followed, and stood next to him. He glanced up at him, rubbing his chin in thought.

“Tomorrow morning, a new world begins,” He said, “A world of order. A world without Huntsmen.”

 

* * *

 

It was nearing sundown when Flynt arrived at his destination: a run-down old building with a sign bearing the name Dell's Garage. As far as the law knew, the place was nothing more than a failing auto mechanic's business. To the people of Mantle, it was the best chop shop and illegal vehicle mod service in town. Flynt had done business with Dell many times over the past few months. Dell was a master when it came to installing hidden compartments large enough to fit a person. He knew how to perform a wide variety of other auto mods, too. Flynt walked in the door, taking in the sounds of power tools, and the smell of oil and burnt rubber. Dell was in one corner of the shop, baseball cap turned backwards, wearing a filthy jumpsuit, with both of his arms deep inside the chassis of a pickup truck. He glanced around saw Flynt approaching, and smiled.

“Coal, good to see you alive,” He said, standing straight.

He grabbed a rag that was laying on the hood of the truck, made an attempt at wiping his hands, then stretched out a hand to Flynt. Flynt took it and gave him a firm shake.

“Good to be alive,” He said, “How are you doing, Dell?”

“Man, forget me, man,” Dell said, “That asshole Schnee bombed the shit out of your safehouse, and you're asking how I am?”

“He found us somehow,” Flynt sighed, “I guess it was inevitable.”

“I'll do anything I can do to help, man,” Dell said, “Pro bono. After everything you've done for this city, man, you earned it.”

“Have you seen anyone who got out of the safehouse?” Flynt asked.

“Couple of people came to me. Looking for a way out of the city. Or a way over the wall. Working on a smuggling vehicle right now.”

Flynt sighed. He looked at the truck. Wedged between the floor of the cabin and the undercarriage was a cramped, dark, and dirty crevice. The last hope of somebody who's previous hope had been him.

“Hey, Coal, man,” Dell said, putting a hand on Flynt's shoulder, “You've done everything you could do to protect this city. Just standing up to Schnee is more than anyone could ask for.”

“I... I don't know,” Flynt said, “I've been urging people to resist. I never told them to fight. I thought if I encouraged people to go to war against Schnee, all I'd accomplish was sending people to die.”

“That's what Schnee does,” Dell said, “That ain't what you do.”

“Exactly. But, now? All that work to stay in hiding, and people died anyway. There's no hiding from this anymore. Maybe we stop whatever Schnee is planning, or maybe we don't. Either way, the people are going to have to rise up and fight soon. There's no escaping it.”

“I'm ready,” Dell said, “I know a lot of people who are ready.”

Flynt was silent for a moment, then shook himself off. He had to focus.

“I need to get to Wernher Fields,” He said.

“What's out there?”

“Hell if I know. But I've got to get there,” Flynt said, “And I need to do it quietly.”

Dell thought for a moment.

“Is Ironwood dead?” He asked.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“I saw it.”

“Well,” Dell said, “That... sucks. But, I guess it means I have something for you.”

Flynt raised an eyebrow.

“Ironwood called me a few days back,” Dell said, “A few hours before the attack on Mantle. That stealth bullhead he had me build for him? He asked for another one.”

“Really?” Flynt asked.

“Apparently, the first one had just got shot down. He needed a new one so that Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee would have a way out of Atlas. But, if he's dead, well, I still need to move it.”

“I'll buy it,” Flynt said.

“No, you'll take it,” Dell said, “Like I said. Whatever I can do to help.”

He reached into his back pocket, and withdrew a key chain, with a single key on it. He tossed it to Flynt, then walked past him, towards the open garage door. Flynt looked at him, curiously, and followed. Dell stopped in the driveway, looking out at Mantle.

“That key goes to a storage lot. Number 304. On Phalanx Street. I finished the Bullhead just yesterday. It's waiting for you there.”

“When I get back, we're going to start the fight against Schnee,” Flynt said.

“Everybody in Mantle has been waiting,” Dell said.

He glanced up, and scoffed. Flynt followed his gaze, and saw the massive shape of Schnee's capital ship drifting across the sky in the distance. Even from kilometers away, one could see how large it was, and how many weapons it was equipped with. There was a fleet of smaller ships swarming around it, like pilot fish around a shark. Even Flynt was stunned by how enormous the ship was.

“Man, would you take a look at that?” Dell said, “Asshole rich kid, showing off his toy.”

 

* * *

 

Mercury pulled out his scroll, and checked the time. It was just past midnight. He glanced over at Theo. The man had been sitting in his chair for several hours, typing away. He would occasionally hum, or ha, or take a handful of potato chips from the bowl next to him. Mercury had asked him several times if progress was being made, and received various non-answers like “You'll find out when I do” and “You can't rush art.” Mercury tapped in Flynt's number, and put the scroll to his ear. There was a sequence of beeps and tones, and then an electronic voice.

“That number is not in service range,” The artificially cheerful voice said, “Would you like to be messaged when service is available? A fee of-”

Mercury hit the end button. He turned to Theo.

“Flynt's out of range of the CCTS Tower,” He said, “Shouldn't it cover most of the continent?”

“Hmm, yes,” Theo said, “Schnee Administration engineers incompetent. The blocker that cuts our CCTS off from the others also limits range. I imagine he's gone to Wernher Fields for the test.”

“So he'll be out of comm range until after the test?” Mercury said, “Great. Can't warn him even if you unlock that thing.”

“Nope,” Theo said, “And he'll likely die out there, anyway.”

“...Yeah.”

Theo stopped typing, and spun around in his chair. He ran a hand over his thin, but still scraggly beard.

“You don't have much use for this scroll, then?” Theo said, “We renegotiate? Keep your payment. Instead, I pay you 5000 for the scroll, and you're free to go.”

Mercury pocketed his scroll, and mulled the idea over. Theo was probably right. What reason did he have to stay in this fight?

“Nah,” Mercury said, “Keep working.”

Theo snorted.

“Not like you,” He said.

“The 25,000 doesn't matter all that much,” Mercury said, “I made more than that working with Ironwood. Besides, at this point, I'm just curious.”

“Suit yourself,” Theo said, turning back around to his computer, “I might... be almost done here.”

Mercury walked over and looked over his shoulder. Theo's screen was a mess of windows, showing files, strings of code, and requests for passkeys. The windows were obscuring, but not completely covering Theo's desktop background. Mercury squinted.

“Is that an Achieve Men wallpaper?” He asked.

“Shut up.” Theo said, “Attempting to falsify a security clearance now.”

He was typing a character sequence into a command window. There was nothing Mercury could interpret; just digits from zero to nine, and letters from A to F. Mercury shook his head in bafflement.

“If this doesn't work,” Theo said, “Security might immediately delete sensitive files. Would be unfortunate. Give you... 100 lien discount for inconvenience.”

“How generous,” Mercury said.

Theo hit the enter button. The command window closed, and a barrage of activity occurred. Windows opening and closing faster than could be read. Quite suddenly, a bunch of new windows opened, covering the screen in unlocked government documents.

“Damn, I'm good,” Theo said.

The two of them began scanning the lines of text. There were design schematics, projections, and images of partially constructed devices. As Mercury read, he found his eyes widening against his will.

“Hmm,” Theo said, “Perhaps additional security system? Replace real files with fictional mock-ups of an impossible weapon?”

“No,” Mercury said, “They never... they never expected these files to be stolen.”

“Uh oh.” Theo said.

“Holy shit.” Mercury whispered.

 


	17. Chapter 17

Weiss stared out the massive windows of the  _Nor'easter_ 's bridge. The ship was hovering some two or three hundred meters in the air, overlooking an endless field of white. Wernher Fields was an ice flat that stretched for kilometers and kilometers, almost as far as the eye could see. Far away to the east, one could see the pale outlines of mountains, but they were only minor details on an almost perfectly flat horizon. The Kingdom was dozens of kilometers behind them. The surface of the ice showed large drifts of snow, occasional jutting rock and, if one looked very closely, remnants of long abandoned research stations. It was among the most desolate and lifeless places in all of Solitas. There weren't even any of the frozen Grimm to be seen. Another thing that was noticeably absent: any kind of experimental weapon.

"I don't understand," Weiss said, "Where is Harbinger?"

"Harbinger will arrive soon," Whitley said, "We have to set the stage first."

Whitley was once again seated in his command chair. He sat with his legs crossed, holding a mug of coffee near his lips. Weiss and Winter were on either side of him. They had spent the night in yet another cell. This one hadn't been as excessively secure as the others, but it didn't make a difference. There were at least a thousand personnel on this ship. Most of them were soldiers. They'd be a challenge even if Weiss and Winter were able to use their Auras. They'd been given another dose of suppressants the previous night.

The blast door at the back of the room slid open, and Weiss turned around. Ciel Soleil walked in, carrying a data-pad. She approached the command chair, looking between the three Schnee siblings nervously. She walked past the Colonel, who was sitting back in an office chair, feet up on the console next to an unused workstation. Whitley swivelled his chair around to face Ciel. As she reached them, Weiss noticed a golden medal, bearing the crest of Atlas, pinned to the front of her uniform.

"Sir," She said, handing Whitley the pad, "All Gravity charges are set, and responding to pings as expected. The ice break should go as planned."

Weiss digested this statement. They were breaking up the ice? What in the world for? What was under Wernher Fields?

"Excellent. ETA?" Whitley asked, staring at the pad.

"The detonation will occur at 8 am, local time," Ciel said, "T-minus 8 minutes and 57 seconds from now."

"And the test subject?"

"Being put in place as we speak, sir," Ciel said, "Dr. Haverford is expected to report completion within 3 minutes."

"Let me know when he does," Whitley said, "Well, don't be rude. Say hello to my sisters."

Ciel looked between Weiss and Winter. She smiled awkwardly. She turned to Winter first.

"Ms. Schnee, I wanted to speak to you about what I said at the manor," Ciel said, "I disregarded the loss you felt. It was disrespectful. Regardless of your involvement with Ironwood, you are still a Schnee, and it was wrong of me to forget that. I owe you an apology."

Winter stared at Ciel, stone-faced. Weiss and Whitley exchanged a look.

"I owe you a pen." Winter said.

"...okay," Ciel said, "I am sorry, though. Weiss, it is good to see you, as well."

"Thank you, it's good...to see you," Weiss said, "I see you were awarded a medal."

"Yes, I was awarded-"

"You got that for killing the man who trained you." Winter said.

"...awarded the Atlas Distinguished Action Commendation," Ciel finished, "For neutralizing a dissident cell with minimal casualties."

"Congratulations," Weiss said, trying to sound genuine.

Weiss glanced at Whitley. He was giving her a strange look, squinting uncertainly. Eventually, his face fell into a look of mild disappointment.

"Keep an eye on the situation, Ciel," Whitley said, "When the test begins, please refrain from interrupting unless it's an emergency."

"Yes, sir," Ciel said.

She turned and walked back towards the exit to the bridge. Whitley swivelled his chair back around, and stared out into the vast ice flat. He sipped his coffee.

"I suppose it was inevitable," He whispered.

Weiss looked between Whitley and Winter. Winter shrugged. Weiss turned and stared out into the frozen void. She had no idea what she was about to witness.

* * *

Ruby was wearing nothing but an orange jumpsuit and a bag over her head. She could feel the cold biting at her skin. She took deep breaths, squeezing her hands tight to protect her fingers. There was a soldier clasping each of her arms, leading her somewhere. She'd been pulled out of a bullhead, and could feel she was walking over snow. The pair of simple slippers she was wearing weren't well-suited to the task. She heard and felt the chill wind being cut off, and realized she was inside a structure of some sort. She was forced onto her knees, and felt a pair of shackles being attached to her wrists. Then, the bag was pulled off.

Ruby blinked rapidly, the light stinging her eyes. There was no artificial lighting on in this building, but the natural light flowing through the windows, reflected off the ice flats, was momentarily blinding. As everything came into focus, she saw the soldiers who'd been leading her, and the elderly scientist who'd spent the last two days torturing her at Sigma facility. She'd come to learn his name: Dr. Haverford. Haverford leaned down and smiled at her. She glared back up at him.

"Well, I'm sorry to say, Miss Rose, this is where we part ways." He said.

Ruby looked around. She recognized the general layout of the building. It was a small structure, not much bigger than a garage. There were various geological and seismological instruments strewn about on desks and shelves. The place was a mining survey station, but it seemed to have been disused for a number of years. There was a thin layer of frost on everything. The most recent addition to the place was clearly the chains bolted into the floor, that were now bound to Ruby. The shackles were the same restraints that had held her in place at Sigma, even when she'd used her Semblance.

"Let me guess," Ruby said, "I'm part of the Harbinger test? Can't wait to see the look on your faces when I tear your new toy apart."

"That is exactly the attitude I was hoping for," Haverford said, "Goodbye, Ruby Rose. Gentlemen, let's get going. We won't want to be here in a few minutes."

Haverford and the soldiers started heading out the door. As they did, Haverford opened up his scroll.

"This is Doctor Haverford," He reported, "Aura resistance test subject is in place. We are falling back to Observation Site 7."

The door to the survey building closed, plunging Ruby into silence. She looked around, pulled at her bindings uselessly, and sighed. She closed her eyes and thought of Weiss. She had no idea where her partner was. She remembered Whitley promising he'd never kill Weiss, for whatever his promise was worth. But would he throw her in a cell? Might he have brought her to the test? Despite her bravado, Ruby didn't see many ways out of this situation. She shuddered at the thought of Weiss watching her die and being powerless to help.

Ruby examined the shackles. There was no way she would be able to squeeze out of them. The technological components blocking her escape via Speed were plainly visible, but Ruby couldn't pry anything loose. Both her hands were bound on either side of her. She couldn't squeeze her hands out, the shackles were too tight. Unless...

Ruby looked to the wall on her left. There was a wall mounted heater there, a mess of metal tubing and heating components. If she positioned herself just right, she might be able to get her left hand over to it. Her thumb might fit into one of the gaps between the pipes.

"Okay," Ruby said, "Okay, here we go. This is gonna suck. Here we go."

She shifted position, and reached over. Her hand touched the metal. She touched her thumb to the various gaps and crevices in the machine, looking for a spot where she could insert her thumb and apply torque. She found a decent enough spot, and took a deep breath.

"Alright, here we-"

The ground shook quite suddenly, silencing Ruby in surprise. She looked towards one of the windows, but from this angle, all she could see was sky. A roar of explosions echoed through the survey site. The ground was shaking violently, a disorienting shake that Ruby could feel in her gut. To her trained and experienced ear, the sound was distinctive. A Gravity Dust explosion.

"Well, that's probably bad." Ruby said.

* * *

Weiss watched as the web of precisely placed charges that had been buried in the ice detonated, in a wave of explosions that crossed almost the entirety of Wernher Fields. The ice shattered, creating a maze of cracks between explosion sites, and sending plumes of ice shards and dust sailing into the air. The pristine surface of the ice flat was destroyed.

"What's under that ice, Whitley?" Weiss asked.

"The Schnee Dust Company performed geological surveys here a decade or so ago," Whitley said, "They detected a pocket of material beneath the ice with substantially high density, and thought it was highly concentrated Dust. When they realized what it really was, well, they cleared out. Hoped it would stay down there."

"Stay down...?" Weiss asked, "What was it? A... wait. Wait a minute..."

The three of them stared out at the broken ice. A silent few seconds passed.

"Sir!" One of the bridge crew called out, staring at her computer screen, "Seismic activity, sub-surface. Something is moving."

"Whitley, what the Hell have you done?" Winter asked.

The vast field of broken chunks of ice began to shift. Entire sections of the vast pit of broken ice were moving about entirely in defiance of any kind of natural flow. Something was disturbing it from beneath.

"Seismic activity increasing..." The woman behind them reported, "Oh wow. Sir, it's bigger than we thought."

The surface of the ice was suddenly breached. An enormous black tentacle, 50 meters long, and at least 3 wide, burst out of the ice, sending debris flying. It stretched up into the sky, flexing and revealing rows of spines. Weiss's eyes widened. Another tentacle burst forth, just as large, and then another. Both were within a dozen or so meters of the first. The massive, horrid things twisted and undulated in the open air, as if waking up.

Weiss stared at the broken ice, transfixed. What sort of creature was about to emerge? She took a few nervous steps closer to the window. Behind her, Whitley stood up. He stepped forward, crossing his arms.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" He asked.

Weiss turned around, the abruptness of the question momentarily distracting her from whatever horror was being unleashed outside.

"What?" She asked.

"'Congratulations, Ciel'?" He parroted, "'For killing my criminal friends'? Do you honestly expect me to buy that?"

All at once, hundreds of square meters of the ice flats exploded upwards. A dauntingly massive form began to emerge, jet black against the ice. Whitley stepped forward, drawing closer to Weiss.

"Weiss, do you think when you get this good at manipulating people, you can't pick up on when people are trying the same bullshit on you?!"

Weiss was staring at Whitley in shock. She glanced over at Winter, who was nervously glancing between her brother and the thing outside.

"You try to kill me, and then what? Suddenly you're willing to hear me out?" Whitley said, pointing a finger at her, his teeth gritted, "I explained my reasoning for doing all of this and you weren't listening to one damn word, were you?!"

A monstrously twisted limb extended from the mass of Grimm flesh rising out of the ice. It could not be accurately described as an arm or a leg, but an amalgamation of both, that rose high above the thing's body and then bent downwards to the ground, like a spider's leg. There was no apparent matching limb on the other side.

"Whitley, I-" Weiss began.

"You took my side against Winter?! Seriously? You and Winter have always been against me! I'm smarter than that, and you should be smarter than thinking that that would work!"

"Uh, Whitley?" Winter asked, staring out the window in amazement.

"And you!" Whitley yelled, turning on Winter, "What, did you and Weiss plan out when you would freak out at me so that Weiss could act like the rational one?"

A collection of eyes, none the same size or placed with any rhyme or reason opened on what could be called the beast's face. The thing's head was not quite separate from its torso, having the appearance of a neck but the head being fused to its shoulder on one side. A mouth opened where one might expect, and another, much larger mouth opened on its chest, and a third on its side.

"You don't want to lead Atlas with me, Weiss?" Whitley asked, "You don't care at all about ever being a family? Well, that's fine. I was doing just fine before you got here and started ruining everything!"

The beast that Whitley had awoken stood well over a hundred meters tall. The tentacles coming from its back stretched out into the sky. It squirmed and moved in a twisted, unnatural manner, like every motion pained it. Out of its toothy mouths, it bellowed a horrific, foul roar.

"Whitley, we can talk about this," Weiss said.

"Everybody in this family has to be so difficult," Whitley groaned, glaring at Weiss, "Why couldn't you be more like mother? All I ever had to do with her was tell her to keep drinking."

Weiss felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Her whole body trembled. Her mind reeled. She started to get dizzy, almost like she was going to pass out. She could feel her own heart pounding in her chest. Winter was staring at Whitley in utter shock. As Weiss began to hyperventilate, Whitley's enraged glare slowly turned into a soft grin.

Without full control of herself, Weiss was suddenly pouncing at Whitley. Her hand outstretched, she clawed at Whitley's face, no thought in her mind but getting a hold of him and hurting him. She came within millimeters when she was stopped dead by a massive hand grabbing her by the throat. The Colonel had been edging closer while she was panicking. He lifted her up off her feet, holding her tight. Weiss fought against the grip, kicking and grabbing at Whitley.

"Whitley, you piece of shit! You asshole! I'm going to kill you! I'll rip your evil little tongue out and throttle you with it! I don't care about your Semblance! Or that thing out there! Nothing is going to stop me from killing you!"

"Hmm, I guess it's been a couple hours," Whitley said, "Winter, you're not allowed to attack me. Weiss, keep making a scene all you want. I'm done taking responsibility for your juvenile rebellion."

Weiss continued screaming, and swearing, and flailing at her brother. Whitley looked over to Winter. She had tears streaming down her face. Whitley looked out the window at the enormous Grimm. More tentacles were emerging from the ice around it, extending out of whatever still remained of it's body beneath the surface. The thing was bellowing and roaring, gaining control of it's limbs again after an ancient slumber.

"Look at that," Whitley said, "Man, that thing is hideous, isn't it?"

* * *

Ruby slid her thumb into the gap she'd selected on the heater. She took a deep breath. She had no idea what was going on outside, but it sounded awful. She needed to get out there. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and twisted. There was a horrible popping noise, and a jolt of intense pain shot up Ruby's arm. She grunted, and gritted her teeth harder. She withdrew her hand, and examined it. Her thumb was hanging limply out of its socket. Suppressing her gag reflex, Ruby began pulling against the shackle. Slowly, her hand, now not so wide, began to slide through. Every bit of progress she made sent jolts of pain from her thumb. When she was close enough to being free, she gave one final tug, yanking her hand from the shackle.

"Gah!" Ruby cried out, "Oh, it's so much worse than I expected! Why is it worse than my arm was? That makes no sense!"

With her free hand, sans usable thumb, she clawed at the other shackle. She had to braced her palm against the side of it to get enough leverage, and then used her index finger to rip out a resistor. Nothing seemed to happen. She tried again, prying a conductor loose this time. The shackle made an odd whining noise, then one of the circuits blew apart, sending a small spray of sparks out. Ruby activated her Speed, relocating a few steps away, letting the empty shackle hit the ground.

With her second hand free, Ruby grabbed her dislocated thumb and, without giving herself time to think about it, snapped it back into position in one go. The worst jolt of pain by far hit her, and she almost fell backwards. She let go of her thumb and examined her hand. The thumb seemed to be moving properly. Ruby took a moment to breathe.

"Boy," She said, "Sure do... sure do love it here in Atlas. Shit."

Ruby wandered over to one corner of the building, where earlier she'd noticed a map on the wall. She searched it, trying to find her own place. Eventually, she say a small dot marked "Survey 4." Nodding, she looked around it. Just two kilometers away, there was another dot labelled "Observation 7."

"Perfect," She whispered, "Time to see what nonsense is waiting for me outside."

She crossed the room to the door, kicked it open, and stepped out. Shielding her eyes from the glare, she looked to the right, and noticed what looked like an enormous airship in the distance. A horrible roaring noise came from her left, and she glanced around. She froze. There, just a kilometer or so away, was a positively enormous Grimm. It was all tentacles, and mouths, and misshapen limbs. It was teeth, and eyes, and roars of agony.

"Wow," Ruby said, "That is not something you see every day. Almost every day, but not  _every_  day."

Ruby looked at the gargantuan monstrosity, then turned and looked in the direction of the Kingdom, if her sense of direction she got from the map was right. This thing was only a couple dozen kilometers from the city.

"Oh no." Ruby whispered.

* * *

"Is this your secret weapon, Whitley?" Winter asked, "You've just dug up some giant monster? How is that supposed to destroy the Huntsmen?"

"What is the status of Step 2?" Whitley called out, still staring out at the colossal Grimm with mild interest.

"Step 2 is ready to be initiated, sir," One of the bridge crew, at a comms station, said, "November Facility is waiting on your order."

"Tell them to launch." Whitley said.

Weiss continued to flail and struggle in the Colonel's grip.

"Selfish little bastard!" She cried, "Everything that ever happened to this family was because of you!"

Whitley seemed to pay Weiss no attention. He continued to gaze out of the window. Winter had a hand placed on his command chair, steadying herself and staring at Whitley in disgust.

"You're your father's son," Winter spat, "More than I could have ever imagined."

This, too, Whitley ignored.

"Sir, launch was successful," The crew member reported, "Harbinger is en route to target."

Whitley grinned. He turned to Weiss.

"I suggest you pay attention," He told her, "Look at that thing out there. It was down there since before Atlas was founded. It would take a hundred Huntsmen a hundred hours to bring it down. Half of them would probably be killed. Let's see if I can do better."

"I'm going to kill you," Weiss hissed, "I'm going to kill you!"

"Harbinger ETA, 10 seconds," Another of the bridge crew announced.

Weiss glanced out the window, still pulling at the Colonel's arm. There was something in the air, kilometers past the Grimm. It was coming in quickly. All Weiss could make out was a tiny dot against the pale grey sky.

"Can we get a closer look at that?" Whitley asked.

A holo-screen was projected in the air, just in front of the glass window to one side. It played a live camera feed zoomed in on the incoming object. It was cylindrical, coming to a point on one end, with an enormous rocket engine propelling it forward at the back. The length of it was covered in stabilizing fins.

"Is that a missile?" Winter asked.

Weiss had stopped struggling for a moment, staring at the screen in shock.

"It's..." She began.

"It's massive!" Winter said, "It looks over a dozen meters long!"

Whitley grinned.

The missile had been coming in almost level with the ground. It suddenly adjusted course, turning downwards and streaking towards the monstrous Grimm. Its engine fired harder, giving it one last boost of speed. The Grimm pulled its head upward, tearing apart the flesh that fused its head to its shoulder, and gave a final roar. The missile slammed into it and there was an utterly blinding flash of light. Winter gasped in surprise. Weiss was silent. They both squinted as every window was filled with the intense light. Slowly it faded, and they blinked until their vision was clear. Weiss started breathing heavily. The Grimm was gone. In its place was an expanding fireball larger than any she'd ever seen.

* * *

Ruby stared at the gigantic Grimm as it squirmed and bellowed. It seemed to be trying to move its head, oblivious to its own malformation. Soon, it would pull itself from the hole in the ice and begin moving towards the city. Ruby balled her hands into fists. She started walking towards it.

"Alright," She said, "I've got no weapon. Weiss isn't here. Been tortured the last two days. My thumb hurts like hell, and it is absolutely freezing out here. And I'm about to fight, like, the third-biggest Grimm I've ever seen with my bare hands. Let's do this!"

As she walked towards it, it finally pulled its head up enough for the flesh of its shoulder to start giving away. There was a stomach-churning ripping noise, and the creature roared in rage, holding its head up high. Something far above the creature, coming in quickly, caught Ruby's eye. It was some sort of projectile the size of a small aircraft.

"What the-"

A blinding flash of light hit Ruby in the face, and she desperately raised her hands to shield herself. The flash came silently, on account of its source still being a good distance away. But as the intense light began to fade, Ruby heard a growing roar far more terrifying than the Grimm's. It was a monstrous, screaming, fiery roar. Like an explosion, but far louder than Ruby had ever heard. She looked back as the light faded away, and an approaching wall of fire came into view. The flaming shockwave stretched to the sky, higher than Ruby could crane her neck. It stretched hundreds of meters to her left and to her right. And it was roaring towards her at unbelievable speed.

"Oh my God!" Ruby shouted.

She turned, and activated her Semblance, and took off as fast as she could. The approaching fire cast her shadow for what looked like hundreds of meters ahead of her. She channeled as much of her Aura as she could into her Speed. Each stride sent her sailing over the terrain, and each time she landed, she pushed off harder, desperately trying to go faster. She felt the heat of the blast on her back, and suddenly realized she wasn't going fast enough. The impossibly massive explosion would engulf her, and she'd be burned to a crisp. The percussive force of the blast hit her first, and she was lifted into the air and thrown tumbling through the sky.

* * *

Weiss, Winter, and and Whitley stood on the bridge, staring out at the remains of the ice flats. The Colonel stood behind Weiss, ready to grab her again if she tried to attack Whitley again. The fire of the explosion had faded, leaving a sky filled with smoke. The ice as far as the eye could see had melted down into a concave shape. Strewn about the ice flat were enormous piles of still-burning Grimm flesh. Weiss's jaw was hanging. Her mind almost couldn't fathom what she'd just seen. Whitley was smiling with utter satisfaction. Winter was stone-faced, except for a slight tremble of her lip.

"Tell me," Whitley said, crossing his arms, "Could you deflect that with a sword? Could you fight it with flashy martial arts? Could you defend anyone, or anything, from a weapon like that?"

Weiss, almost reflexively, opened her mouth to respond, but only a soft whimper slipped out.

"Properly aligned Dust crystals," Whitley said, "Detonated in the right sequence, causes an exponential explosive effect. This the most awesome piece of Dust technology ever devised."

"You... you..." Weiss got out. She had no idea what to say, but she had to say something.

"All of the world will see this, and understand," Whitley said, "The age of the Huntsman is over. Now, power over this world will be in the right hands. I won't even have to invade the other Kingdoms. Faced with this, they'll surrender. I'll demand that Aura use be made illegal everywhere, and the world will comply. They'll have no choice."

He turned to the communications officer. Weiss and Winter continued to stare out the window at the unthinkable devastation.

"Contact November Facility," Whitley ordered, "Tell them I want four more Harbinger missiles completed in 48 hours. Another twelve by the end of the week."

Weiss turned to Whitley, shaking. Whitley walked up to her, smiling.

"Now you see," He said, "Now, let's go home, and we can discuss what to do with the two of you."


	18. Chapter 18

Flynt's bullhead glided silently and invisibly over the surface of Wernher Fields. Far in the distance, he could see the hulking shape of Schnee's capital ship. Far off in the middle of the ice flat, rising out of a pit of broken ice, was a colossal black shape. Flynt couldn't tell what it was from where he was flying. He was planning to move in closer, but something else had his attention at the moment. Another bullhead had flown out of the ice flat, from the direction of the black mass. It had landed at a small observation station, and a group of soldiers had piled out. They were accompanied by a man noticeably not wearing combat gear. He looked like a scientist or something. Flynt could guess that that massive thing out there was Harbinger, but maybe that scientist could tell him more about it then simple observation could.

Flynt prepared to bring the bullhead down for a landing. The stealth system wouldn't work on the ground, so once he hit the surface of the ice, they'd only have to glance in his direction to see him. Flynt glanced towards the capital ship, took a deep breath and started to descend.

An impossibly intense flash of light struck him in the side of the face, coming from the ice flat. He looked out to discover the gigantic black shape was gone, replaced by an enormous explosion.

“What in the Hell?!” Flynt shouted in surprise.

All at once, the holograms on the control panel in front of him clicked off. The interior lighting went out, and the inside of the bullhead was plunged into shadowy darkness. The hum of the engines wound down into silence.

“Oh, crap.” Flynt said.

He started to feel weightlessness as the bullhead began to drop out of the air. He fought with the controls, trying to get the engine restarted. He knew that even if he did, he was too low to the ground to recover. Releasing the controls, he put all his energy into his Aura and wrapped into the fetal position. The bullhead slammed into the ice at an angle, sending up a small explosion of ice shards and snow. Flynt felt the impact ripple through him, knocking the wind out of him. He tumbled around as the bullhead slid to a stop, shielding himself as best he could. Eventually, the bullhead came to a rest. Flynt groaned, and got to his feet.

“Man, I hope I can restart this thing,” He grunted, “Don't think those soldiers out there will let me hitch a ride.”

Flynt leaned over the control panel and looked out the front screen. He could see the observation site, and past it, a fireball that stretched into the sky, larger than Flynt could fathom. He shook his head in disbelief. The air in front of the fireball seemed to distort, and Flynt realized he was looking at an approaching shock wave. He steadied himself on the control panel as the wave hit, shaking the ground violently. Eventually, the ground settled, and there was nothing left of the explosion but a sky filled with smoke.

“What did you do, Schnee?” Flynt whispered, “What have you made?”

He walked towards the back of the bullhead, and opened up a cabinet on the wall. Inside, mounted on a rack, was a standard Atlesian combat rifle, fitted with a holo-sight. Flynt stared at the shape of the weapon for a moment, then reached out and took hold of it by the grip on the barrel. He let it go, and withdrew his hand part-way. He sighed.

“'You'll have to use a gun eventually, Flynt,'” He said, imitating Neon Katt's high-pitched voice, “'A trumpet's not a real weapon. You need to use a gun.' That trumpet was doing me just fine. Ugh.”

Flynt pulled the rifle from the rack, and immediately checked the action. Seeing the chamber was clear, he checked the barrel from obstructions, closed the action, and clicked the safety on. He grabbed a magazine from with the cabinet and clicked it into the port. He checked the rifle's sights, yanked back the bolt, then put the butt to his shoulder.

“I hate guns,” He said, “Alright, let's go.”

Flynt pushed up the door of the bullhead, and jumped out. He couldn't see any movement from the observation site. Obviously the massive explosion had kept their attention off the crashing airship. Flynt ran for the observation site, keeping his rifle on the door he'd seen the soldiers go into. The door opened onto a small porch-like extension, with a staircase down to the surface of the ice. Flynt slipped up the stairs, crossed the porch, and put a shoulder to the wall next to the door. Slowly, he reached over to the door handle, turned it as quietly as he could, and cracked the door open.

“All indications from here suggest the test was a complete success,” Flynt heard an elderly voice saying, “Grimm target completely destroyed. Aura test subject's status hasn't been confirmed, but she is likely dead. We lost biometrics from her restraints shortly before the weapon detonated but... that doesn't matter. Nothing could have survived that. Ruby Rose is dead.”

Flynt's heart suddenly began beating faster. The rifle in his hands shook. Without properly preparing himself, he threw the door open, and rushed in. There were seven men in the room- four soldiers with standard gear, one with a sniper rifle slung over his shoulder, the elderly scientist, and a soldier in an exo-suit. Before they had a chance to react to him, Flynt opened fire. He spent half of his magazine, most of it going into the chest of the nearest soldier. The others all turned towards him and opened fire. Flynt dove to the side, landing behind a desk covered in old, outdated meteorological equipment. The soldiers opened up on the desk, bullets shredding the equipment and pinging through the wood. Flynt crawled along the length of the desk, then popped up near the end of it, shooting another soldier in the head. The soldier in the exo-suit charged for Flynt as the others reloaded. Flynt opened fire on the exo-suited soldier, but he raised an arm and blocked the shots with his armour-plated forearm. He smashed straight through the desk and swung at Flynt.

Flynt ducked under his swing and swung the butt of his rifle into the soldier's crotch. There was a thud as the rifle connected with more armour. The soldier brought an elbow down, hitting Flynt in the shoulder. Rather than resist the impact, Flynt let it propel him down, his back hitting the floor, then fired upwards. The remaining shots in his clip pinged off more armour plates, until one shot managed to just catch an unarmoured spot, ripping through its target's shoulder. The soldier grunted in pain, then stomped on Flynt's chest. Flynt coughed, then punched the soldier in the leg, trying to free himself. The soldier stomped again, then again, then reached down and grabbed Flynt by the throat.

“Is this all you've got, Huntsman?!” The soldier shouted, lifting Flynt up off the ground.

He threw Flynt across the room, sending him slamming into the opposite wall. The empty rifle clattered to the ground. Flynt dropped down next to it, wheezing. The soldier walked over to him, swung his leg back, and kicked him in the head, sending him slamming into the wall again.

“Did you enjoy the show?” The soldier laughed, “That out there, that's the future! You're obsolete!”

Flynt shook himself off, then raised his hands, readying himself for the next strike. The exo-suited soldier thrust his knee forward, aiming for Flynt's face. Flynt redirected his leg, sending it smashing into the wall, then punched the soldier in the crotch, putting as much Aura as he could into the blow. The soldier gasped in pain, and stumbled back. Flynt started to get to his feet, when a bullet slammed into his shoulder. One of the other soldiers had fired. Flynt fell back, reeling in pain. Two of the soldiers gathered around him, aiming their weapons down. The guy with the sniper rifle leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, next to a broken window.

“Dr. Haverford, sir,” One of the soldiers said, “Do you want him detained for more anti-Aura testing?”

“Were you watching, son?” The old scientist asked, “I'd say we have all the Huntsman-killing weaponry we need. Just kill him.”

“Yes, sir.”

The soldiers levelled their weapons. Flynt gritted his teeth. As the soldiers' fingers tightened around their triggers, there was a shout of fright from across the room. The soldiers looked around to where the sniper had been. He was gone, with nothing in his place but shards of broken glass, and a few drifting rose petals.

“What the-” began the soldier in the exo-suit.

“Oh, shit.” Haverford said.

The soilders raised their weapons at the window, gripping them tightly. The soldier in the exo-suit flicked his wrist, causing two power-fists to deploy into his hands. Dr. Haverford ducked behind a desk, looking out the window the sniper had disappeared through.

A shot rang out, along with the sound of shattering glass. A bullet tore through the window on the other side of the room, nailing one of the soldiers in the head. He collapsed, and Flynt immediately reached for his weapon. The other soldier spun, crouched, and put his rifle to Flynt's temple.

“Rose!” The soldier shouted, “Give yourself up, or this guy dies!”

A bright red blur shot into the room, from the window the sniper had been pulled from. It whipped past them all, passing just over the exo-suited soldier, then continued out the window on the opposite side, leaving a trail of rose petals in the air.

“What the-” Haverford started.

The exo-suited soldier stumbled forward. He had a combat knife stabbed through the top of his helmet, all the way down to the hilt. He collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud.

“Shit!” Haverford yelled.

The soldier grabbed Flynt by the shoulder and pulled him to his feet, keeping his rifle trained on his head the whole time. He wrapped an arm around Flynt's neck, his head whipping around to each window.

“Alright, alright,” The soldier said, “Rose, I'm leaving with this guy. You're not gonna touch me. Have the doctor if you want him.”

“Seriously?!” Haverford shouted.

The last intact window in the building shattered. Ruby came diving into the room, dressed in a tattered orange jumpsuit, her hair askew. She had a sniper rifle slung over her shoulder, and a pistol in her hands. The instant Flynt saw her, he slapped the barrel of the soldier's gun away from his head, then twisted the man's arm away, slipping from his grip. Ruby fired while still in the air, hitting the soldier in the head. She hit the ground as the soldier fell.

“Nice save,” Flynt said.

Ruby stood up, shaking herself off. She caught sight of Haverford, and walked over to him. She gave Flynt a nod as she passed.

“Rose! Rose!” Haverford shouted, “Schnee forced me to-”

Ruby fired. The bullet struck Haverford in the knee. Haverford collapsed, swearing in agony.

“Oh, you bitch!” Haverford shouted, “You shot me! You f- you shot me in the- you little-!”

Flynt stumbled over to Ruby. He rubbed his shoulder, where he'd been shot.

“Ruby,” He said, “Good to see you alive.”

“What?” Ruby asked, loudly.

She put a hand to her left ear and rubbed it. She shook her head about, squinting.

“Sorry,” She said, “Got caught in the blast. I can barely hear anything.”

As soon as she said this, she paused. She furrowed her brow in thought.

“Oh, that might work.” She said.

“What?” Flynt asked.

“I'll explain later,” Ruby said, “Did you see it? Harbinger?”

“That explosion,” Flynt said, “I've never seen an explosion like that.”

“It's a missile. A missile more powerful than I've ever seen.”

“Schnee wants to use missiles on the Grimm?” Flynt asked.

“Not on the Grimm,” Ruby said, “On any Kingdom that doesn't accept his rule. His ship is still up there. I'm going to go kill him. You in?”

Flynt nodded. Ruby walked over to one of the dead soldiers, and pulled off his belt. She wrapped it around her waist, clicked it together, then drew the handgun from the holster attached. She looked between it and the pistol in her other hand. The one she'd taken from the sniper was a 9mm. The other was a .45 ACP. She tossed the 9mm away, and put the .45 back in the holster.

“You got here in a bullhead?” She asked Flynt.

“Yeah, with a cloak,” Flynt said.

“Good, let's get-”

The ground rumbled. There was a low groan, as if the ice were shifting. Ruby and Flynt looked around in confusion. Ruby walked over to a window and looked out. At first, there was nothing but an endless plain of ice. Suddenly, the surface shattered a short distance from the observation site. The arm of a Beowolf burst out, clawing at the air. A short distance away, an Ursa's head pushed through. In a matter of seconds, the ice as far as the eye could see was crawling with emerging Grimm.

“Outstanding.” Ruby said, “We've gotta go right now.”

Ruby and Flynt moved for the door. Haverford held out a hand.

“Wait, wait!” He shouted, “Don't leave me here! You're a Huntress, aren't you? You protect people from monsters. You can't leave me!”

“Goodbye, Haverford.” Ruby said.

Flynt and Ruby walked out, and rushed for the bullhead. A Beowolf's arm came through the ice in their path, and they side-stepped it. A Creep burst right out of the ice, landing on its feet in front of them. Ruby drew her handgun and fired a shot into the Creep's open mouth. They reached the bullhead and climbed aboard. Ruby looked out the side-door at the Grimm emerging from the ice flat. There were thousands, at least.

“You didn't mention the bullhead was crashed,” Ruby said.

“It just needs to be restarted,” Flynt said, working with the controls.

“Well, hurry,” Ruby said, pulling the side-door closed.

The bullhead's engine hummed to life. The craft started vibrating as the thrusters attempted to lift it. Ruby sat in the co-pilot's seat next to Flynt. Flynt pulled back on a control stick, and the bullhead began to lift into the air. Through the view screen, the Grimm outside could be seen swarming towards Observation Site 7.

“Pretty cold,” Flynt said, “I assume he deserved it?”

Ruby didn't respond.

“Alright, here we go,” Flynt said.

The bullhead rose up into the air, turned, and took off towards the _Nor'easter_.

 

* * *

 

The _Nor'easter_ was turning away from the ice flats, slowly picking up speed. Whitley was back in his command chair, looking down at the data-pad in his hands. Weiss and Winter were standing nearby, with the Colonel looming behind them, watching them closely. Whitley had once again used his Semblance to order Weiss not to attack him. Ciel Soleil was standing behind the command chair.

“Contact with Haverford was lost several minutes ago, sir,” She said, “Likely equipment failure. He is expected to return to Sigma facility to compile the data from the test.”

“Understood,” Whitley said, “Re-establish contact as soon as possible. Did he confirm the destruction of the test subject?”

“Yes, sir.”

Whitley smiled, and giving Weiss a sinister look. Weiss glared back at him, hiding her desperate attempts to figure out what to do. Ciel turned and headed towards the exit to the bridge.

“Do you think...” Weiss began, “That just because you created this weapon, that you'll always be in control of it?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Whitley asked, returning his gaze to the pad.

“When the world sees that a weapon like this is possible, every Kingdom will want one,” Winter said, “Even if you destroy the Huntsmen, you'd be creating an arms race.”

“Not to worry. I'm going to be sending a strong message to the world that they cannot resist Atlas anymore,” Whitley said, “People all over the world will fall in line, just as the people of Atlas did. Nobody will be willing to even attempt replicating Harbinger.”

“That's your plan?” Weiss asked, “That's your great order? Holding the entire world hostage forever?”

“Yes.” Whitley said.

“It's not going to work,” Weiss said, “We'll still stop you. You think you can break us, but you can't. The world will never stop fighting you. And when Ruby and I-”

“Ruby is dead.” Whitley said, “You just watched her die.”

Weiss's breath caught in her throat. Whitley stood, and walked towards her. He was still smiling, but there was an emptiness in his smile, like he'd lost all interest in the conversation.

“You're lying.” Weiss said.

“I needed to test Harbinger's effect on an Aura-user,” Whitley said, “I had her chained down there. I apologize for implying I would ever let her live. I knew what I was going to do with her the moment you brought her into my house.”

“I don't believe you.” Weiss said. There was the slightest stammer in her voice.

“I don't care,” Whitley said, “You can believe whatever you want. Cling to your hero complex and spend the rest of your life telling yourself Ruby will eventually come save you, and the two of you will beat me somehow, if that's what you want to do. I suppose it'd be easier than admitting I've won. Easier than admitting you made it necessary for Ruby to die.”

Weiss stared at Whitley. Her eyes were burning with fury, but there was a hint of tears beginning to form. She devoted all of her willpower to trying to attack. She could break Whitley's neck in less than a second if she could just attack.

“Um, sir?” One of the bridge crew said, “I'm seeing activity at the blast site.”

“Activity?” Whitley asked, “You mean Haverford's team?”

“No, sir, Grimm activity,” The crew member said, “Large amounts. I think the heat of Harbinger's detonation may have weakened the ice over a large area, releasing subsurface frozen Grimm.”

“What are they doing?”

“Heading for the city, sir. Thousands of them.”

“Prepare the city's defences,” Whitley said, “And I want an announcement made that the illegal Huntsman activity over the past few weeks has generated enough negativity to draw an attack.”

“Sir, the city's defences have never dealt with Grimm numbers like this,” Another member of the bridge crew said, “And the weaponry we currently have in place is designed for human attackers, not Grimm. This... this is bad.”

“Prepare the army, then,” Whitley said.

Alarms began to go off in the control room. Whitley looked around in confusion. Weiss's heart started beating faster.

“Now what?” Whitley asked.

“Sir, sensors are picking up another aircraft in close proximity,” The crew member at the sensor station reported, “It has some sort of cloaking system, but it's failing.”

“Where is it?!” Whitley demanded.

“...right in front of us.” the crew member said.

All eyes turned towards the windows at the front of the bridge. Half a kilometer ahead, the air shimmered and a bullhead became visible. It was hovering, one side turned towards the bridge of the _Nor'easter_. The side-door was open, and one could just make out somebody standing inside. A holo-screen appeared on the surface of the window, giving a zoomed-in video feed. Whitley, Weiss and Winter, all gasped simultaneously at the sight of Ruby Rose. She was holding a sniper rifle, and taking aim directly at the bridge. Weiss put a hand to her mouth, tears of relief spilling from her eyes.

“Are you kidding me?!” Whitley shouted, “Weiss, stand in front of me!”

Against her will, Weiss rushed forward, and stood between Whitley and the window. Whitley ducked behind her, looking at the holo-screen. Ruby's left eye, squeezed shut as she looked through the scope, opened in surprise. She adjusted her hold on the rifle and scoped in again.

“Did you seriously think you'd won?” Weiss spat, glancing over her shoulder.

“Shoot her down!” Whitley shouted.

“Taking aim, sir! Weapons priming!” Came the reply from one of the crew.

Weiss stared out the window, at the bullhead in the distance. She could feel Whitley's panicked breathing on her neck. One the holo-screen, Ruby was still aiming, and Weiss knew she was dead-center on her target. But the end of the rifle was trembling slightly. She was afraid to fire.

“Take the shot.” Weiss mouthed.

On the holo-screen, Weiss could see Ruby nod. The rifle in her hands stopped shaking. The image of her on the screen was washed out for a second by the muzzle flash. A hole was blown in the center of the window. Weiss heard a whiz as the bullet brushed through her hair. Then she heard an impact, and felt blood splatter the back of her head. Then, she heard the sound of every weapon on the _Nor'easter_ firing.

 


	19. Chapter 19

A cacophony of weapons fire echoed through the bridge; gatling guns, rail-cannons, and missile launchers, all firing at Ruby's bullhead. On the holo-screen, Weiss saw Ruby grab hold of one of the railings inside the bullhead as it lurched to evade the incoming shots. The bullhead's side-door slid shut as the craft did a barrel roll. The barrage of fire rippled through the air right where the craft had been hovering. Weiss put a hand to the back of her head, feeling the blood splatter. She turned around slowly. She was hoping more than anything to see Whitley's dead body on the floor behind her.

Whitley was writhing on the floor in agony. With one hand, he clutched the side of his face. The bullet had torn his right cheek completely apart, and taken off the lower half of the ear behind it. Whitley screamed; a sound that came out as a gurgle due to the blood filling his mouth.

The Colonel charged towards Whitley. He slapped Weiss aside as he reached them, sending her tumbling backwards. He reached down, grabbed Whitley by the shoulders, and lifted him up.

“Medic!” He shouted, over the roar of weapons fire.

* * *

 

On board the bullhead, Flynt yanked the controls about, gritting his teeth. Massive bullets, lasers, and rockets were flying past the bullhead on all sides. No matter how good he was at flying evasively, they wouldn't last more than a few seconds out here.

“I'm gonna try and get us over it, then take us out of here!” Flynt shouted back.

“No!” Ruby shouted, “It's a capital ship, it's meant to engage targets from range! We have to stay close!”

“Well, how do you expect to escape it?” Flynt asked.

“We're not going to escape it,” Ruby replied, “We're going to ram it.”

“Oh, shit.” Flynt said.

He pulled back on the controls, bringing the bullhead level. He banked and turned directly towards the bridge of the titanic ship. Then he put the hammer down. The bullhead lurched forward with such speed that Ruby was almost thrown to the back of the craft. The _Nor'easter_ 's weapons focused on the bullhead, bullets pinging off the craft and shaking it about.

“Open the door!” Ruby said, “We'll bail before impact, and move along the hull!”

“Oh my God, if we survive this I'm going to be amazed,” Flynt said.

* * *

 

On the bridge, Weiss was just pulling herself to her feet when a new barrage of alarms started going off. She looked out the window to see Ruby's bullhead screaming through the air towards them.

“Incoming!” Somebody yelled.

“Winter, come on!” She shouted, as she took off running.

Winter joined her in a mad sprint for the blast door. As they ran, Winter glanced over her shoulder at Whitley, still squirming and crying in pain.

“That'll be a scar, asshole!” She shouted to him.

The blast door was opening automatically, to allow evacuation. The bridge crew were all running desperately, tripping over each other trying to escape. The Colonel looked over his shoulder at the bullhead approaching. He immediately threw Whitley over his shoulder and dashed forward. The woman who'd been at the communications console stumbled into the aisle, directly into the Colonel's path. He backhanded her out of the way as he bullrushed towards the exit.

As Weiss dashed through the blast door, with Winter beside her, she reached out and hit the emergency lock button. The door immediately began to close again, with Whitley, the Colonel, and a dozen or so bridge crew still inside. The Colonel charged faster, shoulder-checking crew members out of his way. He reached the door and slid under it as it dropped downwards, just clearing it as it slammed. Weiss and Winter took off, running down the corridor, around the corner and out of sight, as the earth-shaking sound of the bullhead's impact rocked the ship.

An enormous explosion burst forward out the front windows of the bridge. Most of the _Nor'easter_ 's guns stopped firing, their controls destroyed. A swirling mass of rose petals struck the hull above the bridge, reforming into the shape of Ruby and Flynt. Flynt looked around in surprise at his sudden change of location.

“Wow, that felt weird,” He said.

Ruby was already standing, and sprinting over the massive slope of the top of the ship. There were massive turret emplacements all around them, but they were designed to shoot down aircraft, not single targets standing on the ship's surface. Flynt took off after Ruby, stumbling a bit as the _Nor'easter_ lurched abruptly. Panels on the roof opened around them as they ran, and AK-250 combat droids began to crawl out.

“Ruby, look out!” Flynt shouted.

Before he even finished shouting, Ruby had drawn her handgun and was firing at the droids. The droids were each crawling out of one of the holes, and drawing their rifles from their backs. Ruby was dropping each one with a headshot before they could even get a shot off. She reached an emergency access hatch, and pulled on the lever. The hatch popped open, revealing a short tunnel downwards. Flynt reached her, and crouched down, peering inside. An AK-250 stepped up behind Flynt, taking aim at his head. Flynt spun, leg-swept the droid, then stood, grabbing its rifle. He twisted the rifle and aimed it at the droid's own head, then punched the trigger. The droid fell away from the rifle, leaving it in Flynt's hands.

“Security's not going to be any lighter inside!” He said.

Ruby ejected the clip from her handgun, slapped in a new one from her stolen utility belt, then racked the slide.

“Counting on it.” She said.

She jumped down the hatch, disappearing from view. Flynt moved to slide down the ladder rather than leap. Bullets pinged off the opened hatch door beside him. He spun, caught sight of the attacking droid, and fired a burst into its torso. It stumbled back, then took aim at him again. Flynt threw himself into the hatch, tumbling down the shaft. He grabbed a rung of the ladder, righting himself as he fell, then dropped down into the corridor below. He landed in a crouch, then looked about, scanning for threats. His eyes widened. There were more than half a dozen dead soldiers in the hall. He heard a shot behind him. He turned around to see another soldier fall, sliding down against the wall at the end of the corridor. Ruby reloaded her handgun, and moved through the door, turning out of sight. Flynt heard more shots ringing out.

“Whoa.” He whispered.

* * *

 

The Colonel looked down at Whitley, as an emergency medical officer applied gauze to his face. Whitley's eyes were wild. The tear in his cheek turned one side of his mouth into a macabre grin. The medic reached into his kit and produced a syringe. He took hold of Whitley's arm. Whitley grabbed the doctor's wrist with his other arm.

“No drugs,” He growled, still gurgling through the mess of his mouth, “Stitch me up, then get me to the secondary bridge.”

“Sir, we should evacuate,” The Colonel said, “We have three, maybe four hostiles on board.”

“Weiss and Winter's Auras are still suppressed,” Whitley said, “Security will take them down. Tell the men lethal force is authorized. Find Ruby Rose. Kill her.”

“Yes, sir.” The Colonel said.

The Colonel turned and headed down the corridor. Whitley turned to the medic.

“Stitch me up. Do it quickly.”

* * *

 

A squad of soldiers charged down the corridor on the port side of the ship. They were moving towards the bow.

“The bridge may have been taken out,” The squad leader said, “Weiss and Winter Schnee are attempting an escape. Orders are to apprehend by any means necessary.”

“Lethal force, sir?” One of the soldiers asked.

“Authorized.”

They reached the end of the corridor, and the door in front of them slid open. Weiss was directly in front of them, gripping the pipes of the ceiling, her legs pulled up. She planted a kick with both feet into the squad leader's chest, sending him tumbling back. Winter slid through the door on her knees beneath Weiss, and punched the nearest soldier in the crotch. Weiss dropped down to her feet as Winter rose, twisted the soldier's rifle out of his hands, and opened up on the others. Weiss charged in after her sister, spotting the squad leader's shotgun. She stomped on the stock as she ran past, knocking it upwards. She caught the barrel, flipped the weapon around in her hands, and fired. The soldiers fired back while diving to get clear. Weiss rolled forward, closing the distance on the nearest one, and firing upwards, catching him under the chin with the blast. Winter strafed past the incoming shots, putting bursts into the each soldier's chests.

Weiss fired her shotgun again, and pulled it towards herself to pump the action. One of the soldiers fired on her, the high calibre rifle bullet hitting the shotgun with enough force to slam it into Weiss's chest and knock her on her back. She wheezed in surprise, threw aside the destroyed shotgun, and snatched a pistol from one of the downed soldier's holsters. She fired from the ground, taking down the soldier who'd fired on her.

There were two soldiers left in the group. Weiss propelled herself off the ground and flipped up to her feet. Winter took aim, pulled the trigger, and found her weapon empty. Without pause, she threw it at one of the remaining soldiers, then rolled away from the incoming shots from the other. Weiss charged, leapt, and struck the soldier who'd been hit with the rifle with a flying punch. As he fell, the other soldier aimed at Weiss. Weiss grabbed the end of his rifle, pushed it aside, and put an elbow in his face. She yanked the rifle from his hands and put a finishing shot into the one she'd punched. The other guy tried to stand up. Winter shot him with another appropriated handgun.

Weiss and Winter looked at each other, breathing heavily. Weiss nodded.

“What's the plan?” Winter asked, “Move for the docking bay?”

“No,” Weiss said, “Meet up with Ruby. Find Whitley. Kill Whitley. Then move for the docking bay.”

A loud metal clanking came from the other end of the corridor. Weiss and Winter looked to see an approaching troop of AK-250s, marching two-by-two. They glanced at each other again, and Winter nodded. They raised their weapons.

* * *

 

An EXO-08 unit swung his massive power-fist, the metal knuckles passing through a cloud of rose petals. The petals swirled up above him, forming into the shape of Ruby. She perched on her opponent's shoulders, wrenched his helmet off one-handed, and put a shot down into the top of his head. As he fell, she jumped down, snapping another shot into the chest of the soldier behind him. Another soldier raised a machine gun as he stepped through the door ahead. Ruby grabbed the injured man, and used him as a shield. Machine gun fire ripped up his back. Ruby slipped her handgun under his arm, firing two shots into the machine gunner's chest. She pushed her dead meat shield aside and gave the gunner a finishing headshot.

Ruby looked back to see Flynt laying down suppressing fire on the soldiers approaching from behind. He ejected his rifle's magazine, and reached for another of the magazines he had shoved into his belt. A soldier charged through the door he'd been shooting through. Flynt jumped in surprise, struck the soldier in the face with the butt of his rifle, and kicked him backwards. The soldier raised his own rifle, but Flynt grabbed it by the magazine, and pushed it upwards. Holding his rifle one-handed, he fired the shot left in the chamber into the soldier's head. As the soldier fell, Flynt pulled the magazine from his rifle, and clicked into into his own. He pulled back the bolt, chambering a new round.

“Let's split up,” Flynt said, “You keep drawing them towards you. I'll move for the engine room and bring this whole ship down.”

“Will you be alright alone?” Ruby asked.

“Yeah, I'm good,” Flynt said.

He raised the rifle to his eye, and headed back through the door, in the direction of the aft of the ship. Ruby headed forward, a specific objective in mind. As she dashed down the corridor, a door on her left opened, and more soldiers spilled out. She snapped her handgun up and headshotted the first one she saw. She jumped, hit the right wall, and ran along it, firing forwards. The soldiers fired wildly as they were cut down. Ruby fired until her gun was empty, then pushed off the wall. All but one of the soldiers was taken down. She tackled him, both of them rolling onto the ground. Ruby ended up on top of him. She pushed herself up to her knees, punched him in the face, then grabbed for another clip. She found her belt empty. The soldier reached for his own handgun. Ruby punched him again, yanked his gun from its holster, and shot him in the head. She tossed his gun aside, grabbed a clip off his belt, confirmed it was .45 ACP, and loaded it into her own gun. She stood and continued forward.

* * *

 

Whitley stumbled into the secondary bridge, a much less grand room, filled with redundant control systems. The secondary bridge was set deeper inside the ship, behind additional layers of armour. Whitley's face had been quickly stapled, and bandaged. He had one arm wrapped around the medic's shoulders for support. The crew inside the redundant bridge turned and stood at attention.

“Report!” Whitley ordered.

“Sir, we are maintaining current flight path despite the loss of the bridge,” One of the crew said, “Security forces all over the ship are mobilizing.”

“Where are they?!” Whitley demanded.

“Sir, we have a video feed of Weiss and Winter,” Another crew member said, “Here.”

Whitley released the medic and walked over, gripping his face in pain. He looked at the monitor in front of the crew member, which was displaying a camera feed of a room filled with destroyed droids.

“Uh, they were just there,” The crew member said.

He tapped a button on the keyboard, and the monitor switched to a different feed, this one of a corridor of dead soldiers. The crew member stammered, and hit the button again. The next camera feed showed another group of soldiers, coming into view just as the last one fell dead. The crew member hit the button once again, and Weiss and Winter came into view, cutting a swathe through the soldiers in the next room.

“There they are.” The crew member said.

“Can you seal that whole deck?” Whitley asked.

“Sir, that's this deck.”

Whitley gritted his teeth in anger, sending a fresh jolt of pain through him. He stumbled forward, gripping the desk.

“Sir!” One of the other crew members said, “Ruby Rose just breached the armoury!”

Whitley's eyes widened in disbelief.

* * *

 

Ruby hit the emergency lock on the armoury door, sealing herself inside. She could hear soldiers gathering outside. She looked around the armoury, all but salivating at the racks upon racks of every kind of weapon imaginable. There were heavy assault rifles, auto-shotguns, Gauss cannons, rail-rifles, grenade launchers, and more.

“Holy shit,” Ruby said, “I don't even- what am I even gonna use? I'm paralyzed by freedom. Hello, what's that?”

Something had caught her eye. A locked case near the back with a familiar shape inside. She walked down the aisle, past rows of other weapons that suddenly interested her less. Inside the case was the unmistakable shape of Crescent Rose, in her sword form.

“Hello there,” Ruby said, “I missed you.”

Ruby noticed that Myrtenaster was locked in the same case, along with Winter's sword. She looked at the lock, a simple cast-iron padlock.

“I guess this was the most secure place they could think of,” Ruby said, “Well, that was a mistake.”

Ruby grabbed a small canister of mixed-Dust fuel from the shelf beside her. It was mostly Fire Dust, with some Electricity and Earth. She pried the end of the canister open, pouring the contents over the lock, and then shot it. The Dust burned bright and intensely hot, melting through the lock. The molten lump of metal dropped to the floor, and Ruby pulled open the case. She took Crescent Rose and ran her hands along it, delicately checking it over.

“They didn't even know how to transform you, did they?” Ruby said, “They clearly tried. I'm going to have to give you good bit of maintenance when we get home.”

Ruby collapsed the sword down into its most compact form, and put it on her belt. She grabbed Weiss and Winter's swords and found room for them on her belt. Then she glanced around the room, in curiousity.

“Now, let's see...” She said.

A dozen soldiers were gathered in the corridor, weapons trained on the armoury door. They were all gripping their weapons tensely, well aware of just how much firepower their target might come out with. Seconds ticked by, feeling like minutes to the terrified men. The Colonel appeared from one end of the corridor, striding forward confidently.

“What's the hold up?” He demanded.

“S-sir, she's locked herself in,” The squad leader said, “We're waiting for the breach charges to arrive.”

“Breach charges?” The Colonel asked, raising an eyebrow, “Let me show you how to breach a door properly.”

He walked towards the door, tapping the buttons on his right gauntlet. The rocket thrusters began to hum up. He stopped in front of the door, and pulled back his fist. To his surprise, the door flew open on its own. Standing inside, directly in front of him, was Ruby Rose. She was still dressed in an orange jumpsuit, but she was wearing a utility belt with several swords hanging off of it. She had ammo belts strung across her chest, and a massive fuel tank strapped to her back. The fuel tank had a rubber tube coming out of it that lead to the flamethrower in her hands. Ruby grinned.

“Oh-” The Colonel said.

Ruby pulled the trigger, and a wave of fire gushed out the armoury door, pouring down the corridor in both directions. The soldiers screamed as they were consumed by the flames. The Colonel held up his hands, shielding his face. His Aura glowed brightly against the flames. He rushed forward, swinging blindly at the source of the torrent of fire. Ruby released the flamethrower's trigger, and deftly ducked under the Colonel's fist. She stepped around him and fired the flamethrower down the corridor, engulfing more soldiers in fire. The Colonel spun, aiming a backhanded swing at Ruby. Ruby dashed away from him, then fired another blast of flames into his face. The Colonel charged at her again, his fist slamming into the wall behind her. He swung at her with his other fist, and this time she did something he didn't expect. As his fist thrust forward, she slid the fuel tank off her back, and thrust it towards him. His fist went through one of the shoulder straps, and Ruby ran forward, past him and up the wall, pulling the tank up his arm until it was slung around his own back. Planting her feet on his back, she pushed off, flying away down the corridor.

“What the-” The Colonel began, looking at the tank strapped to his shoulder, and the flamethrower dangling from it.

Ruby landed, backflipped, and drew Crescent Rose. She transformed her weapon into its rifle-form, and fired. The bullet struck the fuel tank, sending a spray of gaseous fuel spewing from the tank. The Colonel had a moment to grasp desperately at the tank before the fuel ignited. Ruby used her Speed to carry her away from the explosion.

* * *

 

Weiss and Winter ran down the hall together, scanning each door with their weapons, ready to take down any threat that appeared. By this point, Weiss had appropriated a large revolver, and Winter wielded an SMG in one hand, and a stun baton in the other. Alarms were blaring everywhere. Weiss was just starting to wonder when they'd run into Ruby. From somewhere above, maybe one or two decks, there came the sound of a massive explosion, so violent it rocked the ship, almost making the Schnee sisters stumble. They both stopped and looked up.

“What was that?” Winter asked.

Weiss grinned, “That was Ruby.”

“Alright, then we're going up,” Winter said.

Weiss glanced around to get her bearings. They were at an intersection of two corridors, the one they'd been heading down, and one to their left. There was a sign indicating a staircase was down the hall to the left. Weiss motioned to it. They were about to start moving, when the door at the end of the other corridor opened. They both raised their weapons, expecting yet another barrage of forces. Instead, a lone figure stepped through the doorway, handgun at the ready, held close to her chest. It was Ciel Soleil. She looked at them and smiled.

“Ms. Schnee... Ms. Schnee,” She said, with a bitter facade of politeness.

“Weiss... go on ahead,” Winter said.

“You sure?” Weiss asked.

“Yeah. She's mine. Go.”

Weiss nodded, and with a parting glance at Ciel, ran down the left hall. Ciel watched her leave with a smirk. Winter adopted a combat stance, pulling the stun baton behind her back, and raising the SMG. Ciel pulled the slide back on her pistol, and checked the chamber.

“I didn't fight Ironwood,” Ciel said, “I executed him. I hope you'll be more of a-”

Winter opened fire, spraying bullets at Ciel. Ciel ducked forward and strafed, firing back. Winter leapt to one side, repelled off the wall, and continued firing as she flipped through the air. Ciel rolled forward, closing in on Winter. Winter had emptied her weapon before she landed. She tossed it aside and thrust forward with the stun baton. Ciel dodged to the right, and brought her gun up to Winter's head. Winter slapped Ciel's wrist, sending the shot just past her ear. Ciel countered with a palm strike from her free hand, hitting Winter in the solar plexus. Winter was knocked back, but grabbed Ciel's outstretched arm by the wrist, and brought the baton down on it.

Ciel cried out in pain, and fired a wild shot at Winter's midsection. Winter released Ciel's arm and sidestepped, barely avoiding the shot. She spun into a roundhouse kick, which Ciel dodged under, still firing. Winter dodged the shots, then abruptly spun in the other direction, letting out a kick that connected directly with Ciel's gun. The pistol was knocked out of Ciel's hands and clattered down the hall. Winter followed up with a kick to Ciel's chest, sending her flying back. Ciel turned the momentum into a backflip, and landed on her feet. She took a second to breathe.

Ciel and Winter stared at each other for a moment. Ciel looked to her weapon; Winter was standing between her and the gun. Ciel smiled, and reached to her belt. She drew two combat knives, with gleaming silver blades. They each had a hole through the grip, just below the blade. Ciel slid a finger into each hole and spun the knives about. She end the spin with one knife in forward-grip, one reverse.

“I think your brother might give me another medal for killing you.” Ciel said.

“Save it, bitch.” Winter said.

Winter held up the stun baton, and tossed it aside. She raised up her fists into fighting stance. Ciel charged, and Winter screamed in fury.

* * *

 

Flynt charged down the hall on the starboard side of the ship, firing at the retreating soldiers. One of the soldiers ducked behind a corner, and blindfired back down the hall. Flynt dropped into a slide that carried him around the corner, firing the last bullet in the magazine into the soldier. He pushed off the ground, and landed on his feet, maintaining his momentum. He snatched a shotgun off another downed soldier. He approached the door at the end of the hall, only for it to explode outwards before he could reach it. A soldier in an EXO-08 suit had destroyed the door in a blind rush to get to him. Flynt dove backwards, firing at the soldier. The shot pinged off of the suit's armour plating. Flynt landed on his back, and the soldier ran forward, raising both fists and bringing them down, aiming for Flynt. Flynt rolled left, and the exo suit's power-fists dented the metal floor. Flynt fired into the soldier's side, where there was no armour plating, only standard Kevlar. The soldier roared in pain, and again tried to bring his fist down on Flynt. Flynt pushed himself backwards and opened his legs, the soldier's fist hitting the floor just short of Flynt's crotch. Flynt brought the butt of the shotgun up and slammed it into the soldier's nose. He grunted in pain, and recoiled, giving Flynt an opening. He put the shotgun to the soldier's face. The soldier grabbed the barrel and pushed it upwards just as Flynt pulled the trigger, sending the blast into the ceiling.

Two more soldiers appeared in the destroyed doorway. One of them immediately drew a flashbang grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it at Flynt. The two of them took cover on either side of the door. Flynt let go of the shotgun, dove and grabbed the flashbang. Not knowing what else to do, he turned and shoved it right into the exo-suited soldier's mouth. He ran around the soldier, grabbed hold of him, and twisted him towards the doorway. Taking advantage of his opponent's shock, he kicked him in the small of his back. He put enough Aura into the kick to overcome the strength of the exo-suit, and send the soldier stumbling through the doorway. Flynt covered his eyes as the flashbang detonated. He ran through the doorway, snatched the handgun out of the hand of one of the dazed soldiers, jumped over the exo-suited soldier's body, and turned in midair. He dropped both soldiers with quick headshots.

Flynt landed, ran over to the dead soldiers, and noticed they were armed with frag grenades. He grabbed two and clipped them to his belt. He dashed down the corridor, came to a small spiral staircase, and ran down it. He reached the bottom, stopped, and peered around the corner. There was the door to the engine room, with two guards posted in front of it. The guards were looking around, nervous, waving their weapons in all directions. They'd been hearing gunfire and explosions all around them. Flynt took a deep breath, backed up a few steps, then dove out into the corridor. His first shot hit its mark, dropping the nearer soldier. The other one reacted quickly, ducking and strafing. Flynt fired more shots towards as he fell to the ground. He only managed to clip his target with his last shot, before landing hard on the metal floor. The soldier fell, grunting in pain, and then they both struggled to get up. Flynt was up first, and charged the soldier. The soldier tried to raise his rifle, but Flynt tackled him, sending them both to the ground again. Flynt fought his way to his feet, struggling with his opponent's weapon. Once he was standing, he put his foot on the soldier's chest, wrenched the rifle free, and shot the soldier in the head.

Flynt walked over to the panel on the side of the engine room door. There was a hand scanner on the panel. Flynt shrugged, and put his hand to the panel. The scanner hummed, and sent a wave of LED lights across its surface, reading Flynt's hand. It flashed red, beeping in a manner that could only be described as scolding.

“Don't know why I thought that might work,” Flynt said.

He reached down to the dead soldier slumped against the wall beside him. He took the man's hand, pulled it up and slapped it against the scanner. The scanner hummed, scanned again, this time flashing green. There was a heavy metal _chunk_ sound as the door unlocked.

Flynt raised his rifle to his eye, and hit the button above the scanner. The door slid open, revealing a room filled with machinery, engineering crew, and more soldiers. In the center of the room was a massive shaft, made of thick transparent aluminium, filled with dozens of coils of glowing tubing in various colours, predominately a purplish black. The Main Dust Reactor that kept the enormous ship aloft. The crew inside all looked around in surprise; they clearly hadn't expected a breach. Flynt charged in, snapping off shots, taking down the soldiers in the room one by one. The engineering crew all dove for cover. Flynt took cover behind a console, scanned the room, and confirmed he'd cleared the room of threats. He tossed the rifle aside, looked at the console, and began typing.

“What in the Hell do you think you're doing?!” One of the engineering crew demanded, walking up to him.

Flynt replied by grabbing the fabric necklace hanging about the man's neck and yanking it off. There was an ID badge on the necklace, as well as a small key. Flynt slammed the key into a keyhole on the console, and turned it. A low, droning alarm went off in the engine room. The transparent aluminium casing of the reactor began to slide upwards, exposing the coils.

“Warning! Emergency Maintenance Mode activated!” Announced the loudspeakers in the room, “All personnel level 3 and under should vacate the room. Warning! The Main Reactor is now vulnerable! Take extreme caution when working near the reactor!”

Flynt removed one of the grenades from his belt. The engineering crew saw the grenade, and their eyes widened in terror.

“Evacuate! Everybody out!” Shouted the chief engineer.

Flynt pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it. It lodged into the reactor between two coils. Flynt smiled in satisfaction, then ran out of the room, along with a stampede of engineers. He nailed the emergency close button on the door on his way out. The door slid shut just before the grenade went off.

* * *

 

On the secondary bridge, Whitley was staring at a monitor showing feeds keeping track of each hostile on the ship. The feed following Ruby had just found her again after the explosion outside the armoury. Whitley was watching Winter and Ciel fight. Winter was dodging between Ciel's blades without effort, getting in quick jabs where she could. Whitley growled in frustration.

“Soleil doesn't stand a chance,” He said, “Can we depressurize that area? Blow them both outside?”

“Yes sir,” A crew member said, “It'll take a few seconds to-”

The entire room shook, and lurched. Everybody was sent tumbling, trying to stay up. Whitley grabbed the edges of the console. In the same moment, the screens, holograms, and lights in the room flickered. A couple seconds later, Whitley felt a stomach-churning split-second of weightlessness as the entire ship dropped a few meters.

“What was that?!” He demanded.

“By the Gods!” Another of the crew said, “Somebody just took out the main reactor!”

“How?!” Whitley demanded.

“I don't know, sir! We have to evacuate, right now!”

“We're not leaving until all four of them are dead,” Whitley said, “Don't we have auxiliary engines?!”

“Sir, the auxiliary engines are- they're not enough. They weren't designed to accommodate the added weight of all the _Nor'easter_ 's weapons!”

Whitley looked down at the monitor. Weiss and Ruby were in the same section of the ship now, closing in on each other. Whitley clenched his fists.

“Sir, at present speed, the _Nor'easter_ will remain on course for a maximum of seven minutes, and then it'll start to roll. She's going down, sir. If we did an emergency landing, we'd be landing right in that mass of Grimm on the surface. It's time to get you to the docking bay and off this ship.”

Whitley slammed his fists down on the console, scrambling the video feeds. He screamed in rage, sending a powerful jolt of pain from his injured cheek through his body. He stumbled, almost passing out.

“Damn you, Weiss,” He growled, “Damn you to Hell. Alright, let's go.”

* * *

 

Weiss dive-tackled the soldier in front of her, firing a shot into the chest of the soldier behind him as they collapsed to the ground. She got up to her knees, and in a fluid motion, snatched the combat knife from the sheath of the man beneath her while shooting him in the head. She stood, and moved forward, double-tapping the second soldier as she walked past. She'd felt the ship shaking from another explosion, and was now keenly aware of a slight rumble she could feel through the floor. The telltale sensation of unsustainable flight.

As she headed for the intersection into the next corridor ahead, a loud gunshot rang out. A soldier came flying around the corner, tumbling through the air, screaming. Weiss took a moment to stare in surprise, before the doors around her burst open. Soldiers came charging out of each one, weapons raised. An impromptu ambush. From the corridor ahead, Ruby stormed around the corner. Weiss's heart skipped a beat at the sight of her partner, even as she turned to engage her ambushers. Ruby was dual-wielding Crescent Rose, in its sword-form, and Myrtenaster. At the sight of Weiss, she threw Crescent Rose. Weiss planted her combat knife in the chest of the nearest soldier, freeing up her left hand. She caught Ruby's weapon out of the air, and immediately began swinging. Ruby dashed forward, thrusting Myrtenaster, taking down one of the soldiers from behind. Weiss ducked beneath the swing of a stun baton, and emptied her handgun into its wielder. She dropped the gun, and took Crescent with both hands. She spun, cleaving down the soldiers to her left and right. Ruby used a burst of Speed to add power to another thrust, skewering one of the soldiers. There was only one soldier left in the hallway. Ruby pulled Myrtenaster free of its last target, spun and slashed at him. The rapier's length struck his shoulder and stopped, leaving him completely unharmed. Ruby and the soldier stared at the sword, each equally surprised. The soldier quickly regained his composure and raised his shotgun. Weiss ran to meet them, and swung Crescent Rose, cutting him down with a strike to the midsection. Weiss took a deep breath, and smiled at Ruby.

“How do you slash with that thing?” Ruby asked.

“There's a trick to it.” Weiss said.

They stood up and stared at each other a moment. They handed each other their own weapons back.

“Ruby, I thought you-” Weiss began.

“It's okay,” Ruby said, “Later, okay? ...your Aura is down.”

“He's been drugging me,” Weiss said, “We have to-”

The ship lurched again, this time the power turning off for a full second before flickering back to life. Weiss and Ruby looked around.

“Docking bay,” Weiss said, pointing to the left turn down the corridor ahead, “That way.”

* * *

 

Flynt took a moment to breathe, resting his hand on the wall for support. He'd taken a few hits, and had been channelling his Aura into attacks. He was running low on energy. He heard sounds of fighting up ahead; not gunfire, but the sounds of strikes, blades slicing air, and purposeful grunting. He ran forward, checking his ammo count. He only had a few shots left in this rifle. He swung around the corner and caught sight of the source of the noise.

Ciel and Winter were locked in combat, swinging, dodging and parrying each other's attacks, blow for blow. They seemed almost evenly matched, and yet, Ciel was slowly backing up- Winter's barrages of strikes putting her on the defensive. Ciel had her back to Flynt. Winter glanced over Ciel's shoulder, took note of Flynt, but didn't let his appearance distract her. The ship lurched again, and Ciel and Winter both stopped for a moment to steady themselves. Winter recovered first, and sucker-punched Ciel in the jaw. Ciel stumbled back, flailing with her knives.

“Hey, Ciel!” Flynt shouted, lowing his rifle to his side.

Ciel whipped around in surprise. She kept one knife held out to Winter, but pointed the other to Flynt.

“Coal!” She shouted, “Good. I get to kill you t-”

Winter spun, grabbed Ciel's left wrist, and pulled it over her shoulder. She ended up back-to-back with her opponent, a firm grip on her arm. She yanked down with all her strength. Ciel's arm snapped against Winter's shoulder. Ciel screamed, and dropped the knife in her left hand. Winter snatched it out of the air, spun Ciel around by her broken arm, and thrust the blade into her gut. Ciel's shock from the arm break kept her from using her Aura as a shield in time. The blade went in. She gasped in pain. Winter swept her ankles with one foot while punching her in the chest, knocking her backwards to the floor.

Winter pulled the knife from her belly, aimed it directly at her heart, and thrust downward. With her unbroken arm, Ciel desperately blocked. Her hand came just between the knife and her chest, the point of the blade hitting her palm. Her Aura flared, as she put all her energy into stopping the attack. Winter thrust the knife down and pushed as hard as she could, forcing the knife-point against Ciel's hand, pinning it to her chest. Ciel's Aura was glowing brightly along her arm. She gritted her teeth, spitting up a few drops of blood.

“Winter...” Ciel whispered, her Aura starting to flicker.

“You shouldn't have sided with Whitley,” Winter spat.

Winter pulled back her free hand, and punched the end of the knife. Ciel's Aura failed. The knife sliced through her hand and went straight into her chest. She gasped, spasming in shock. Winter took a deep breath, crouched over Ciel. She took hold of the knife and pulled it out of Ciel. Ciel's impaled hand fell to her side, and a spurt of blood came from her chest. Her eyes rolled back. Flynt walked over, staring down at Ciel, shaking his head. He held out a hand to Winter. Winter took it, got to her feet, and walked back down the hall without looking at Flynt. Flynt stared down at Ciel, and she looked up at him, taking desperate, irregular breaths.

“You thought you were serving Atlas,” Flynt said, “I'm sorry that-”

Ciel's head snapped back in a spray of blood. Flynt jumped back in surprise and turned to Winter. She was holding Ciel's pistol, smoke wafting from the barrel.

“Yeah, well,” She said, “I'm not. We can be sentimental later. We have to go.”

* * *

 

Ruby and Weiss entered the docking bay, stepping onto a walkway raised above the bay's floor. They immediately ducked and crouched behind the waist-high barrier. There were more soldiers rushing about below, ushering important personnel onto bullheads, launching them as quickly as they could. Weiss spotted Whitley's personal ship, stark white against the surrounding grey metal. She motioned to it. Ruby switched her weapon to rifle-form.

“When you see him, don't give him a chance to talk,” Weiss said, “You finish this.”

“We're going to finish this together,” Ruby said, “Once he's dead, we go back to Atlas and start the real fight.”

Weiss nodded. A troop of soldiers appeared from a door somewhere beneath them. Behind them, Whitley was being lead to his bullhead. He had one arm slung around the shoulders of a medic. It looked like he was fighting to stay conscious. Ruby raised her rifle and took aim. She let Whitley take just a few more steps towards the bullhead, lining up a perfect shot. She wasn't going to settle for injuring him this time.

Without warning, Ruby felt a gut-wrenching impact hitting her back. She cried out in pain, and found herself flying over the railing, down towards the floor of the docking bay. Whitley and the crew below all looked around in surprise. Weiss turned to the source of the blow. The hulking figure of the Colonel, his clothing charred and smoking, his face streaked with soot and twisted in rage, stood in front of her. Weiss moved to jump over the railing, but the Colonel grabbed her by the throat. He lifted her up, her legs kicking helplessly, then threw her off the walkway. She fell to the floor, landing hard next to Ruby. The two of them struggled to their feet, as all the soldiers in the room levelled their weapons at them.

“Both of you, freeze!” Whitley shouted, “Everybody else, stand down!”

Weiss and Ruby both froze. Weiss could feel herself starting to panic. She couldn't get captured again. She couldn't let him control her again. Whitley glared at the two of them, using what energy he had to quake with hatred. Another rumble shook the docking bay, and noticeably left the floor at a slight tilt. Whitley pulled himself off the medic, and took a step towards them. He made sure to remain within a few meters of his bullhead.

“What in the Hell does it take to kill you people?!” Whitley shouted.

“More than what you've got!” Ruby shouted back.

The Colonel vaulted the railing and landed behind Weiss and Ruby. He cracked his knuckles.

“Do you have any idea what its like for us?” Whitley demanded, “Living in the shadow of people like you? Everything I've built, it's been to lift humanity up to something better than the Huntsmen! You've destroyed it all!”

“You made us your enemy, Whitley!” Weiss shouted, “This is all your doing!”

“You still don't understand.” Whitley said, “You don't know what its like fighting an enemy like you. To know your enemy is stronger than you in every way. Fighting something that was born more powerful than you'll ever be, without ever having to earn it!”

Whitley grinned, struck by a moment of dark inspiration.

“Let me show you,” He said, “Ruby, drop your Aura. Both of you, toss your weapons aside.”

Ruby and Weiss did as commanded. Their weapons clattered across the floor. Ruby pulled Winter's sword from her belt and dropped that, as well. Ruby's Aura shimmered as it fell.

“You'll fight like we do,” Whitley said, “No Auras, no Semblances, no weapons... at least not for you. Colonel, kill them both.”

Ruby and Weiss turned around, and looked up at the Colonel. He grinned, and his Aura glowing around him. He tapped a few buttons on one gauntlet, the rocket thruster answering with a low hum. The two Huntresses glanced at each other, then raised their fists. The Colonel walked forwards.

“I need to get at his gauntlet,” Ruby said.

“Alright.” Weiss replied.

The Colonel swung, aiming a haymaker at Weiss's head. Weiss dodged backwards, the attack missing by centimeters. The Colonel immediately threw a strike at Ruby, who ducked under the blow. Weiss grabbed the Colonel's arm, and brought a knee into his ribs. The strike bounced off his Aura. The Colonel grabbed at Weiss with his other arm, but she released him, and slipped under his arms, popping up on his other side. Ruby ran around behind him, jumped, and punched him in the back of the head. His Aura blocked the strike, but he stumbled forward ever so slightly. He spun, flailing at Ruby. This brought him around to face Weiss. Weiss kicked him in the crotch, grabbed the front of his armour, and pulled herself up, delivering a slap to his right ear. The Colonel grabbed her and shoved her away.

Ruby delivered a kick to the back of his right leg. He dropped down to one knee. Before he could stand, Weiss spun and roundhouse kicked him across the jaw. She turned her momentum into a spinning punch to his temple. He held up his arm, blindly trying to block. Ruby grabbed the gauntlet on his other arm, and began punching in a sequence. She'd been studying the gauntlets since she first faced the Colonel; she hoped she knew the mechanics as well as she thought she did. The Colonel forced himself to his feet, swinging wildly at Weiss, yanking his arm free of Ruby's grip. Weiss grabbed his wrist as he thrust forward, and yanked downwards, holding out her foot and tripping him. He began to fall forward, but turned it into a roll and ended up in a crouch.

Weiss turned away from him, towards Ruby, and cupped her hands together, interlocking her fingers. Ruby was already sprinting at her. She planted a foot in Weiss's hands, and Weiss vaulted Ruby over her head. Ruby axe-kicked the top of the Colonel's head as he tried to stand. She landed in front of him and, and he grabbed her, getting a powerful grip on her shoulder. Ruby could hear his gauntlet powering up, the hum gradually becoming a shrill whine. She twisted away from him, and donkey-kicked him in the gut. Before he could react to this, Weiss ran in, elbow striking him in the solar plexus, then uppercutting him in the armpit. He involuntarily released his grip on Ruby, but quickly snatched at Weiss. Weiss dodged backwards, and Ruby followed, the two of them ending up shoulder-to-shoulder, facing him.

Screaming in anger, he charged them, aiming to shoulder-check Ruby. Ruby rolled out of the way, and Weiss grabbed his shoulder as he ran past. His momentum yanked her off her feet, and she used it to swing up onto his back. She brought a barrage of rapid elbow strikes down on his head. He reached up, grabbed Weiss's ankles, and yank her over his head, slamming her to the floor. The wind was knocked out of Weiss's lungs. The Colonel raised a foot into the air, preparing to stomp down on Weiss as hard as he could. Ruby charged him from behind, and drop-kicked him in the back. He was knocked off balance and fell forward, Weiss rolling under him to avoid his landing on her.

All three of them got to their feet again. The Colonel turned to face them, the rage on his face becoming disbelief. Ruby and Weiss raised their fists again, ready to keep going. At this point, the whine from the Colonel's gauntlet had become a shriek. The Colonel looked down at the gauntlet in confusion. Abruptly, the gauntlet exploded. The control panel and rocket thruster were blown apart, and the fuel cells ignited. The Colonel howled in pain as the Gauntlet was engulfed in white-hot flame. His Aura glowed brightly along his arm. With his other hand, he grasped at the burning metal, trying to tear it free. A second explosion went off, tearing apart what remained of the gauntlet. Ruby and Weiss shielded their eyes from the blast. When they looked again, Ruby smiled in grim satisfaction.

The Colonel stood staring at the stump of his right arm. It ended just beneath the elbow. He gave a wheezing, gasping squeal of pain, and his Aura flickered and went out. He looked over to Weiss and Ruby, his eyes blank. Ruby and Weiss charged at him once more. Ruby kneed him in the side, and Weiss brought her elbow down on his shoulder. He dropped down to both knees. He raised his intact arm, weakly, but Ruby slapped it aside, and decked him in the face. Weiss ducked down behind him, bracing herself against his back, holding him in place. Ruby spun, and thrust her foot forward, landing a kick directly on his forehead. His head flew back, and the sound of his neck snapping echoed through the docking bay.

Weiss stood, and let the Colonel's body slump forward on the floor. Ruby and Weiss looked at each other, then turned to face Whitley. Whitley was staring at them, utterly dumbfounded. After moment, he seemed to snap out of his daze.

“Shoot them!” He yelled.

The lights in the docking bay all clicked off. The barely audible hum of the auxiliary engines wound down to silence. The entire ship tipped to one-side, and Ruby and Weiss felt sudden weightlessness. The _Nor'easter_ was falling out of the sky. The soldiers, who'd been in the process of raising their weapons, were sent tumbling along the slanted floor. The soldiers around Whitley grabbed him, and pulled him into the bullhead. It was launching even before its doors were closed. Ruby's Aura shimmered over her body, and she immediately became a cloud of rose petals. She shot between their dropped weapons, each being pulled along with her. Then she came back, picked up Weiss, and Sped up to the walkway. Whitley's bullhead fired its engines and shot out of the docking bay, leaving the rest of the crew behind. Weiss watched the bullhead disappear into the distance, then saw the approaching ground through the open docking bay door.

Stumbling into the hallway, Weiss and Ruby grabbed hold of door frames and walls to support themselves. The ship was nearing a 45 degree tilt. From further down the hall, Flynt and Winter stumbled into view. Ruby and Weiss waved them over.

“Weiss!” Flynt said, “Good to see you! Any plans for getting out of here alive?”

Ruby drew Crescent, and fired a shot down the hall. The bullet struck a window to outside the ship, shattering it outward.

“Landing strategy,” Ruby said.

“Weiss and I have no Auras,” Winter said.

“Trust me,” Ruby said, “I've got you.”

“Alright, let's go!” Weiss said.

They dashed down the hall. It was easy to get up to speed, on account of them running downhill. One by one, they reached the window and threw themselves through it, out of the plummeting ship and into the cold air outside.

 


	20. Chapter 20

The world spun around Weiss as she plummeted, ice cold wind whipping her hair across her face, and cutting through her clothes, chilling her skin. She could see Ruby, Winter and Flynt falling around her. Up above, the massive shape of the _Nor'easter_ had almost turned completely to one side. The ship was starting to plummet, its momentum carrying it away from them as it fell. Weiss twisted, countered her rotation and turned to face the ground. The icey surface below was rapidly approaching. Without Aura, Winter and her would be killed instantly by the impact. Weiss turned to Ruby, who stared back at Weiss. Ruby held out a hand towards the ground, waiting for precisely the right moment. Winter was looking between Ruby and the ground, fear in her eyes.

Mere seconds from impact, Ruby transformed into a cloud of rose petals. The petals formed a vortex around the three of them, blowing Weiss's hair back harder. She felt the spiralling winds pushing up against them, slowing their descent. The ground was coming up to meet them at 50 meters a second, then 25 meters a second, then just 5. Weiss, Winter and Flynt hit the ground, and Weiss felt her legs groaning in protest. The impact had hurt, but they'd landed successfully. The cloud of petals coalesced once again into Ruby's shape. She stood up, smiling to herself, satisfied.

“Nice save,” Weiss said.

Winter stood up straight. She was looking between herself, the ground, and Ruby in amazement. Flynt dusted himself off. A low metallic roaring came from above, and the four of them turned to see the _Nor'easter_ plummeting to the ground, just out of sight over the nearest ridge of ice. They heard a cacophonous impact, and felt the ground shake. Several seconds later, there was another sound, this time of a massive explosion. A fireball rose into view over the ridge.

“Chalk up one capital ship,” Ruby said, “Not a bad start.”

“Can't believe we got out of that,” Flynt said, “Bet Whitley is pissing in his pants right about now.”

“Did you beat Ciel?” Weiss asked Winter.

“She's dead.” Winter said.

Weiss nodded, “Colonel is dead, too.”

“Then we have a straight shot to take out Whitley,” Flynt said.

There was a cool wind blowing over the ice. Ruby was still wearing nothing more than a prisoner's jumpsuit. Weiss saw her shivering, and wrapped her arms around her partner.

“No, not yet,” Ruby said, “He's injured. He just lost a fight. He's going to go back to his Manor and hole up, concentrate his forces there. We want to take him down, we have to take apart his regime first.”

“That was a good shot, by the way,” Weiss said.

“Thank you,” Ruby said, “Weiss... we got caught again. We let him speak.”

“That can't happen again,” Weiss said, “When we take him down for good, we're going to need a proper plan. A way to get around his mind control.”

“Wait, what?!” Flynt asked, looking between them in confusion.

“Oh, right, I guess we didn't tell you,” Winter said, “Whitley has mind control.”

“...okay.” Flynt said.

A flood of emotion suddenly hit Weiss again. Something she'd set aside in the chaos of the battle.

“He... ruined our family,” Weiss said, “Mother's alcoholism... it was him.”

Ruby squeezed Weiss a little tighter.

“We have to put an end to this,” Weiss said, “We have to kill him.”

“So, what's next?” Flynt asked.

“We have to find November Facility,” Winter said, stepping forward, “Its where he's building the Harbinger missiles.”

“He's building more?” Flynt asked.

“He wanted four more in 48 hours- uh... 47 hours,” Weiss said, “More by the end of the week.”

“If he wants four, specifically, then he probably has a target in mind,” Winter said.

“Four...” Ruby thought, still wrapped in Weiss's arms, tucking her head under her chin, “He already shut down the Huntsman Academy in Atlas.”

“Yeah, so?” Flynt asked.

“But Menagerie has an Academy of its own now,” Ruby said, “That makes four.”

They were all silent for a moment.

“Oh my God,” Flynt said, “We have to stop that.”

“We're going to,” Weiss said, “We're taking his entire government down in 47 hours.”

“Winter... you're bleeding,” Flynt said, pointing to Winter's side.

Winter's white jumpsuit had a growing stain of red, just above her hip. Winter lifted the edge of it, and gingerly touched her side.

“My stitches ripped,” Winter said.

“We'll need a first aid kit, if you can't raise your Aura,” Ruby said.

Winter held out a hand to stop her. She closed her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, in through the nose and out the mouth. She gritted her teeth. Faint shimmers passed over her body. She gritted her teeth and concentrated harder. Weiss began to do the same. Winter's body glowed bright white for an instant, and her Aura formed over her. Weiss's own Aura appeared quickly after it.

“Alright,” Winter said, “What's next?”

“What's the quickest way to find November Facility?” Weiss asked.

“Same way you found Winter,” Flynt said, “The CCTS Tower. Actually, that gives me an idea.”

“If Whitley gathers his forces at the Manor, another attack on the CCTS is possible,” Weiss said, “But we'd need to find Mercury's hacker.”

Ruby's ears perked up. She looked around. After a moment, she lowered her hand to the ice, feeling for vibrations. Meanwhile, Flynt drew his scroll and tapped on it.

“I have a signal,” Flynt said, “Not a good one.”

Ruby ran away from them, up the nearest ridge of ice.

“Whitley anticipated... our attack last time, but...” Weiss said, watching after Ruby, curiously.

“But it won't happen again,” Winter said, “This will work. That's our next move.”

Ruby reached the top of the ridge and looked over it.

“It might have to wait!” Ruby yelled back.

The rest of the group looked between each other, then headed up the ridge to meet her. Looking over the crest of ice, they saw what had caught her attention. A short distance north, nearly on the horizon, there was an enormous mass of black, flowing over the white surface of the ice. The mass was made up of Beowolves, Creeps, Ursae, and more. The horde was dotted with Goliaths, rising above the other Grimm forms, which were weaving between their legs. The air above even had a few Nevermores and Lancers. There were too many to count. Thousands, at least- maybe ten thousand. The entire horde was moving towards Atlas.

“The city's walls can't hold against that,” Weiss said, “Atlas has never dealt with Grimm in those numbers. Not all at once.”

“If we drew part of the horde off-” Flynt offered.

“We could peel off half of them,” Ruby said, “The walls still wouldn't hold.”

“And the city doesn't have any Huntsmen to defend it,” Weiss said, “And the Atlas Air Force just lost its capital ship.”

“Oops.” Flynt said.

“We have to get back to the city and help hold the walls,” Ruby said.

“How?” Flynt asked, “We're in the middle of nowhere. How will we get there first?”

Weiss and Winter glanced at each other. Winter smirked.

 

* * *

 

Every weapon on the wall of the city was blazing. Gatling guns, missile pods, artillery were blasting at the incoming horde of Grimm. Soldiers ran up and down the length of the wall, carrying ammunition, maintenance kits, and Dust canisters, trying to keep the weapons firing. A soldier on a massive, 20-barrelled missile pod typed rapidly into the control console. The pod adjusted its position and fired a barrage of miniature missiles. They shot down to the horde, in the direction of a Goliath. There were few direct hits; most of the missiles struck around the beast, blasting imperceptibly small holes in the black carpet of monsters covering the ground, which were quickly filled again. The missiles that hit the Goliath cause it to stumble, before shaking itself off and continuing.

“Damn it!” The soldier yelled.

His commanding officer ran up to him, shouting orders to others as he went.

“Private, what the hell are you doing?!” He yelled, “You're wasting ammo!”

“S-sir, the targeting system- it's not working on these things!” The soldier said, activating the automated reloading systems, “Its heat-seeking- all of our defences are heat seeking!”

The two of them were shouting over the constant, horrific roaring that filled the air. Beneath them, at the base of the 25 meter wall, the Grimm were starting to pile up. The hundreds of monsters that had reached the wall first were being crushed under the one that came after. The horde was becoming a slope, growing against the side of the wall.

“Oh, shit!” The officer shouted, “There's enough here for them to pile right over the wall!”

“It won't take that long, sir!” The soldier told him, “The wall won't be able to withstand the weight pushing up against it. It'll collapse by the time they pile up to the halfway point!”

“We need help, here,” The commanding officer said, drawing his radio, “Command, command, come in. Southeast wall is in desperate need of assistance! Where is the _Nor'easter_? Where's our back-up?”

“Forces are gathering at Schnee Manor in preparation for an attack on the President-General,” The woman on the other end said, “The _Nor'easter_ has been destroyed.”

“What?!”

“But you have resupply on the way. Hold the line.”

“Sir, another Nevermore coming in, a big one!” The soldier reported, “It's white!”

“It's what?” The officer asked, looking up.

From above, the massive shape swooped towards the wall. It was a gigantic, pure-white Nevermore, with a wingspan of a dozen meters, at least. The soldiers on the wall stared up at it, stupefied. They raised their weapons towards it, preparing to fire. The Nevermore spread its wings, catching air to brake itself. It came to a hover in front of the wall, over the massive swarm of Grimm. Seeing it almost level with them, the soldiers saw four figures riding atop the monstrous raven. The four leapt off the beast's back, and plunged towards the Grimm below. The Nevermore gave a haunting cry, and vanished into thin air.

Ruby, Weiss, Winter, and Flynt dropped down on top of the swarm. Weiss fired a barrage of Dust blasts at the ground beneath them, creating a clearing in the horde. Ruby spun as she dropped, each shot destroying a Grimm. The four landed, steadied themselves, and immediately put their backs to each other. The hundreds of Grimm around them turned to face them. They seemed to look between each other for a moment, baffled by the audacity of their attackers. After less than a second, they all roared, and charged.

“Kill them all!” Ruby shouted.

She switched Crescent Rose to scythe form, and swung it. Three leaping Beowolves were cleaved in two. Flynt opened fire with his assault rifle. He'd switched to single shot mode, dropping the creatures with a headshot each. Winter dual-wielded her swords, slicing off any limb that came close to her. Weiss was firing off every Dust trick she knew, sending off waves of Fire, blasting groups of Grimm back with Gravity, and creating barriers of ice to funnel the incoming horde. She glanced towards the wall and noticed the growing slope of Grimm bodies. She spun Myrtenaster's cylinder, selecting Fire Dust, and used the entire chamber, sending massive fireballs at the wall. The Grimm on the wall were roasted by the hundreds.

Ruby spun Crescent about, and activated her Speed. She became a tornado of rose petals and blades. She whipped in a circle around the other three, ripping apart the approaching monsters. By the time she came to a stop, breathing heavily with black slime dripping from her scythe's blade, the four of them couldn't even see the horde for the cloud of black smoke. They continued firing their weapons into the smoke screen, not needing to see their endless enemies to know they were still coming. As the smoke cleared, Winter caught sight of a King Taijitu, its head raised above the rest of the swarm. It lunged towards them, fangs bared. Before it could reach them, a massive white greatsword cleaved its head off. Winter turned to see the form of the Giant Armour standing over them. The coils of the King Taijitu's body writhed, and the head at its other end lunged. The Armour spun, and held out the sword, sending the point into the Taijitu's mouth. The creature's momentum sent the sword bursting through the back of its head. The Armour tore the sword free, and swung it at the monsters gathering at its feet, sending dozens flying.

Flynt and Ruby watched all this out of the corners of their eyes, but couldn't let themselves be distracted. They kept cutting down Grimm as they came, each shot, each decapitation, each kill only making room for more monsters to charge them. An Ursa pounced at Flynt, and he raised his rifle to shoot it. The gun clicked, and Flynt swore in surprise. He dove forward, rolling underneath his attacker. Ruby spun, swung Crescent, and took one of the Ursa's back legs off. Without pausing, she Sped away, cutting down more monsters that were rushing Weiss. Flynt slapped a new magazine into his rifle, yanked back the bolt, and shot the Ursa through the head. He looked around, then up at the Giant Armour, still hacking away at the horde.

“Weiss!” He shouted, snapping off more shots, “Weiss!”

“What?” Weiss called.

Weiss's Aura was glowing brightly from exertion. Fighting while controlling a Summon was hard enough, let alone one that stood 8 meters tall. She stood between the legs of the Armour, dodging pounces from Beowolves and Ursa, stabbing each in the heart as it flew past.

“I need the big guy to throw me!” Flynt shouted.

Weiss looked at him over her shoulder.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, go for it.”

Without any verbal command, the Armour swung its sword into its other hand, and snatched Flynt up. A Boarbatusk that had been rolling at him skidded to a halt, and brayed in rage. The Armour raised its foot up and stopped the Boarbatusk. Flynt pointed out a direction, northward along the wall. The Armour pulled back, and threw Flynt. Flynt flew, screaming, over the swarms of Grimm. He activated his Semblance in mid-air. There were suddenly four of him, flying alongside each other. In perfect unison, Flynt's Quartet switched their rifles to full auto and fired down. Dozens of Grimm were cut down by the hail of bullets.

Weiss wrenched Myrtenaster from the head of an Ursa, and looked about. They had made a dent in the Grimm's numbers that a generous description might call significant. But there were still thousands more, still swarming towards them, still piling up against the city's walls. Over the endless sea of black, Weiss saw something new approaching. Towering above its monstrous kin, a Goliath marched towards them. Its shoulder came to several times the height of any of the creatures around it. It moved with such a deliberate, thunderous pace that one might imagine its mass couldn't handle coming any faster. Still, the beast bristled with muscle and armour plating, and wore a mask that carried an expression of ancient fury.

“Oh, great.” Weiss said.

She unexpectedly felt arms wrapping around her from behind. Winter had embraced her, relying on Ruby and the Armour to keep the Grimm off of them. Weiss felt energy channelling from Winter directly into her body.

“What are you doing?” Weiss asked.

“Giving you my Aura,” Winter said, “We need him bigger.”

Weiss nodded, and focused. She looked up at the Armour, which was marching towards the Goliath already. The Grimm stood nearly twice the height of the Armour, and yet the Summon raised its blade as one honour bound to serve. Weiss channelled more of her Aura into the Armour. As it marched, it grew, and as it grew, it picked up speed. It grew taller and taller, until it stood 15 meters above the creatures that it was crushing underfoot. It sprinted at the Goliath, swinging its greatsword about. The two massive beasts crashed into each other, sending a shock wave across the battlefield. The Armour wound up pushing against the Goliath's head, using its sword as a shield. The Goliath continued its march forward, slowly pushing the Armour back.

A barrage of impacts suddenly struck the Armour and the Goliath both. 40mm shells rained down from the wall above, blasting holes in Grimm flesh and dents in glowing white armour. The Armour stumbled, dropping to one knee. It swung its sword wildly, blocking its head from the turret fire with its other hand. The sword cleaved off a section of the Goliath's trunk. The beast roared, and bowled the Armour right over. The Armour was driven to the ground, the Goliath's massive feet coming down on its legs and midsection. The Armour's last act was to thrust its sword upwards as the Goliath walked over it. The greatsword split open the Goliath's exposed belly, and several tons of black guts poured down onto the Armour before its head was crushed by a stomp. The Goliath stumbled forward a few more steps, already beginning to dissipate. It fell to one side, its body crushing more Grimm underneath it.

Weiss and Winter turned up to the wall. The soldiers above had gotten over the shock of their arrival, and had resumed firing the city's weapons. A volley of missiles flew out over the battlefield, sending dozens of creatures flying with each impact. One of the missiles hit near enough to Weiss, Winter and Ruby to pepper them with ice shards.

“Oh, those stupid-” Weiss growled, “Winter, help me get up there.”

Winter swung her sword and placed a row of Glyphs in the air, each spinning rapidly. The row of Glyphs formed an almost cylindrical shape, aimed at the top of the wall. Winter cupped her hands and stood under the lowest Glyph.

“Protect each other.” Weiss said to Ruby.

She stepped into Winter's hands, and was vaulted through the first Glyph. It accelerated her as she passed through her, shooting through each Glyph, each one picking up her speed. She shot up towards the top of the wall as if she'd been fired from a cannon. With a flick of her sword, she placed a Glyph in the air above the walkway that ran along the top of the wall, where the defences were located. She hit this Glyph, stopped dead, and flipped off of it, landing on the walkway. The nearest soldier yelled in surprise and raised his weapon.

“Oh- uh- Freeze!” He yelled.

“Are you kidding?” Weiss asked, sheathing her sword, “Point the guns at the monsters, you imbecile!”

“You're- you're not attacking us?!” the soldier asked in amazement.

The other soldiers nearby looked around, and levelled their own guns on Weiss. The commanding officer stepped through them and faced Weiss.

“We are trying to do your jobs for you,” Weiss said, “Help us help you! Why aren't these walls equipped to deal with Grimm?!”

“The- the- we've been preparing for... human invaders,” The officer said, “We've never dealt with Grimm numbers like this!”

“Use the anti-air defences for the Nevermores, that should be easy enough,” Weiss said, “Leave the smaller Grimm to us- focus your heavier weapons on the big guys, just don't shoot them near us.”

“Can four Unciv- four Aura-users stand up to numbers like this?!” One of the soldiers asked.

“This horde will refreeze eventually,” Weiss said, “But we have to hold until it does, and help it along. Do you have Ice Ammo for these weapons?”

“Hold on a minute!” The commanding officer said, “I don't take orders from you!”

 _When I'm done with Whitley, you will,_ Weiss thought. She decided not to say this aloud.

“Heads up!” A soldier screamed from further down the wall. Weiss and the soldiers turned to see a massive Nevermore dive-bombing the wall. It had taken a few hits from the defensive cannons, but had just enough strength and momentum to wrap its claws around one of the mounted missile batteries as it crashed into the top of the wall. It tore the weapon emplacement from the wall, sending metal, concrete, and a few unlucky soldiers raining down over the city. The creature spiralled towards the ground, crashing into the streets.

“Do you have Ice Ammo?!” Weiss demanded of the shocked officer.

The officer looked at Weiss for a second more, then grabbed his radio.

“We need Ice Dust Ammunition at the Southeast wall. All forces focus on downing Nevermores and larger Grimm forms. We have a team of Huntsmen here, they're going to draw the Grimm towards them. Consider them friendlies.” He said into the radio.

He set his radio back in its spot on his chest. Weiss nodded to him, and ran back towards the edge.

“Wait!” One of the soldiers shouted.

“What?” Weiss asked, drawing her sword and scanning the ground below for Ruby, Winter and Flynt.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?” He asked.

“This is what we do.” Weiss said, with a shrug.

She leapt from the wall, plummeting sword first towards a Grimm on the outskirts of the clearing Ruby and Winter were controlling.

 

* * *

 

Almost an hour later, Weiss, Winter, and Ruby sat in the middle of a scorched battlefield, surrounded on all sides by the frozen forms of the Grimm. They all panted, so exhausted they could barely stay awake from the constant fighting. Huge portions of the Grimm herd had succumbed to the freezing temperatures- defenceless from the cold by their own lack of body heat. Some of the larger Grimm were covered in ice formations, having been bombarded with Ice Dust to hasten their immobilization. All told, the four Huntsmen and Huntresses had cut down almost 2000 Grimm between them before the battle ended. Of course, the battlefield left no trace of their felled opponents, only a landscape of macabre statues.

“Professor Port would have loved to see this,” Weiss said, “He'd be running about, looking for which Grimm to dissect first.”

“We did good,” Ruby said, “We did real good.”

“It feels... rewarding, to kill Grimm again,” Winter said, “There are so few left. It's not surprising the city wasn't prepared for such a large attack.”

“No, no...” Ruby said, “Whitley left Atlas undefended. If we hadn't been here...”

“I wasn't trying to justify anything he's done.” Winter said.

“I know,” Ruby said, “I know. Weiss, you said you were going to kill him?”

“I have to,” Weiss said, “Even on the rooftop, I wasn't sure. I was being impulsive. But it has to end this way. He's too dangerous. And he's gone too far.”

“And what about the other Kingdoms?” Ruby said.

“What about them?” Weiss asked.

“How do the other Kingdoms react when a government is toppled by Aura-users?” Ruby said.

“They'll see everything Whitley has done. They'll understand.” Weiss said.

From around the shape of a massive frozen Beringel, Flynt appeared. In each hand, he held the remains of half of his assault rifle. He'd clearly dismantled the weapon, and seemed to have been using the halves as crude batons. They were severely dented, matching Flynt's dishevelled clothes. He saw them and waved, tossing the busted weapons aside.

“Hey, guys, what's happening?” He said.

“Just chilling out,” Ruby said.

Ruby glanced over to Weiss and caught a quick eye roll. She grinned slightly.

“We did alright, huh?” Flynt said.

“We're not done yet,” Ruby said, “We have to get moving. Get to the CCTS.”

“We're in no shape to fight any more, Ruby” Weiss said, “We need to rest, just for a bit.”

“Clock is ticking,” Flynt said.

“We hit the CCTS tonight,” Weiss said, “After business hours. Fewer civilians on the streets.”

“I'm calling Mercury,” Flynt said, drawing his scroll, “Maybe he can get in touch with that hacker.”

 

* * *

 

“...Which is why it's the greatest album of all time,” Theo was saying, “Completely snubbed at the awards.”

“Uh huh.” Mercury said.

Mercury and Theo were both seated in two folding chairs in one corner of Theo's apartment. On the small table in front of them was a pile of candy wrappers, disposable coffee cups, and a large bong. Mercury grabbed the bong, put his mouth to the end, and lit it. He took a long inhale.

“Anyway, my point is, now it'll never be surpassed,” Theo said, “So... silver linings.”

“Yeah,” Mercury said, passing him the bong, “Doesn't seem worth the end of the world, though.”

“There'll be nothing left, man. Destructive yield of thousands of tons of Fire Dust. The missiles have ranges of... hundreds of kilometers. Gonna be nothing left, man. I mean, maybe your whacko Huntsmen friends...”

“Oh, those idiots are dead for sure.” Mercury said, rocking slowly back and forth, “No way. I'm not even gonna bother killing Ciel. Avenging Ironwood and probably Flynt... nah. Don't care that much.”

A burst of activity came from a military radio on the computer desk. The radio had half its guts pulled out, and wired into various other gadgets. The communications coming through were obscured by static and interference, almost impossible to understand.

“What was that?” Mercury asked.

“Hmm. Something about the southeast wall. Probably somebody spotted a Beowolf and got spooked.”

Mercury's scroll began to beep. He fished it out of his pocket and stared at it, like he wasn't sure what it was.

“Oh hey, look,” Mercury said, holding up the scroll, “A ghost is calling me.”

He hit the button to receive the call, and put the scroll to his ear.

“Hello? Flynt! Flynt, I'm glad you called. We figured out what Harbinger is. It's a- Oh. Oh, you know? Uh huh. And you survived? ...Yeah, he's right here.”

Theo looked up from the bong.

“Me?” He asked.

“They need your help with another attack on the CCTS,” Mercury relayed, “Want to... to send a message to every screen in Atlas?”

“I can do that,” Theo said.

“He doesn't work for free,” Mercury said, “You'll have to-”

“Nah, I'll do it,” Theo said, “No charge.”

“Really?” Mercury asked.

“Yeah, man, I've had enough of these fascists,” Theo said, standing up, “Let's tear it all down.”

 


	21. Chapter 21

Whitley walked into the Schnee Manor's War Room, accompanied by his bodyguards and a medic. The quick patch job of his face had been redone with better stitching and bandages. The medic had told him that there wouldn't be much they could do about scarring. What little Aura Whitley had wouldn't heal the wound fast enough. The personnel in the room all stood at attention as he entered.

“I want a report, right now,” Whitley said, “Where are they?”

“Sir, the Grimm situation on the southeast wall has been-”

“I asked where the damned Aura-users are!” Whitley shouted, “Are they still there?!”

“Sir,” Said a military officer, stepping forward, “The city's guard reported that the Aura-users slipped away near the end of the battle. They likely found a way over the wall and re-entered the city.”

“Slipped away?” Whitley asked, “No, no, they wouldn't leave until every last Grimm was stopped. They would have stuck around, expecting praise. The guards are lying. Have them executed.”

“Sir-”

“Have them- no- no, you're right,” Whitley said, “They've killed half the damn army at this point, we can't spare the manpower.”

Whitley stared at the large hologram of the city-scape projected on the table in front of him. He spent a few seconds grinding his teeth. The gathered officials looked between each other, nervous. One of them stepped forward.

“Sir-”

Whitley roared in anger, and brought a fist down on the table, causing the man who'd spoken to jump back.

“You stupid, selfish bitch!” Whitley yelled, slamming the table top repeatedly, “Can't let me have anything! Blow up half my city! Blow up my damn ship! Stupid bitch!”

Whitley took a deep breath, putting a hand to the wound on his face. The personnel in the room waited patiently for him to speak.

“I requested whoever was in charge of Aura-suppressant Development be here.” Whitley said, quite abruptly calm again, “Where is he?”

A young scientist, clearly nervous in the presence of the President-General, stepped forward.

“That would be me, sir,” He said, his fingers fidgeting on the clipboard he was holding, “Before you say anything, sir-”

“Shut up,” Whitley said, walking over to a screen on one side of the room.

The screen was showing footage of the battle at the southeast wall. The Giant Armour was easily seen, towering over the Grimm it was cutting down.

“I hate that thing,” Whitley whispered, “I hate that you get to use it as your own. If Father had been smart, he'd have sent something bigger at you. Something that would cripple you.”

“Um, sir?” One of the military personnel asked.

Whitley turned and pointed at the screen.

“She's using Aura,” He said, “The suppressant was supposed to last 24 hours. This is barely 12 since they were dosed. Explain.”

“Uh, sir, yes, um,” The scientist said, “The suppressant is a bit susceptible to being overpowered by adrenaline. With enough physical activity, well, it could push the drugs through the system faster.”

“What?!” Whitley shouted, “Those suppressants were designed to protect my life! Who allowed such a flaw?!”

“Sir, um,” The scientist stammered, “The assumption- you see- was that Aura-users would treat their Auras as a crutch- if they couldn't raise them, they wouldn't even try to fight. We were wrong. In my defence, sir, the effect of adrenaline on the suppressant was detailed in my report of-”

“Stop breathing.” Whitley said.

The scientist immediately fell silent. His eyes widened and he clenched at his chest. Whitley turned to his propaganda minister.

“I want the city to be told that the Aura-users found a way to thaw out a large number of Grimm so that they could save the city and play hero.” He said.

“Sir, I'm not sure how that would mesh with our previous statements that the Aura-users want to destroy the city...”

“Find a way, I don't care.” Whitley said, “And somebody find out where they are now.”

“We're monitoring communications across the city, sir,” An elderly general said, “Sir, about the Colonel...”

“Forget the Colonel,” Whitley said, “Plenty of other psychopaths rotting in military prisons who'll make a deal for freedom.”

“Yes, sir. I was going to suggest we start going over candidates, considering your sisters and Rose are still active and, well, probably coming for you.”

“No time,” Whitley said, “Just concentrate our forces here and... and where would they go...?”

Whitley thought hard for several seconds. The silence in the room was broken by the scientist passing out and hitting the floor.

“Deploy more droids and mechs to November Facility,” Whitley said, “No matter what, I want the Harbinger missiles complete.”

One of the personnel withdrew their scroll, which had begun vibrating in their pocket. He opened it and looked at the screen for a moment.

“Sir,” He said, “The CCTS Tower is under attack.”

 

* * *

 

Weiss, Winter, Ruby, and Flynt were gathered in a stolen bullhead. They were flying over the city, doing their best to avoid attention. Fortunately, the destruction of the capitol ship had thrown the air force into disarray- They were closing in on the CCTS with little interruption. Flynt was at the helm, one hand on the controls, and his other hand holding his scroll.

“To everybody in Atlas...” He was dictating, “No... To the people of Atlas... It's time you learned of the war crimes and atrocities of the Schnee Government...”

In the back, Ruby was carefully making adjustments to Crescent Rose, checking over its mechanisms. She opened the action, looked inside, then closed it again. She flipped the weapon over and pulled back on a small latch, checking the components within. Shaking her head, she stripped a piece of Crescent off and began tightening a screw inside by hand. Weiss was watching her while holding her scroll to her ear.

“It was an ambush last time,” She was saying, “This time will be easier.”

“Hmm, yes, I'm sure,” Mercury's hacker was saying, “You won't need long. 10 minutes, with me walking you through the process.”

“So, we'll be going for the main console again?”

“Ahh, no, this time is different,” Theo said, “You're going to need to access the command code directly. We'll insert a script that'll rewrite administrative functions, give us permission to reset the security protocols- I'm sending a program to your scroll now.”

Weiss's scroll beeped, indicating an incoming e-mail. She looked at the screen. There was a new e-mail there with an attached file.

“You'll be uploading that,” Theo said, “Make everything go much quicker.”

“Okay, so where exactly are we going?” Weiss asked.

“Uh, lower levels,” Theo said, “Core Server room. Get there and I'll walk you through the process. You can easily search for November facility's location after.”

Ruby reassembled Crescent, giving the piece of casing she'd removed a slap to ensure it was in place. She put the weapon to her shoulder, glanced through the scope, then collapsed it down to its compact form. In the pilot seat, Flynt was still working out the wording of their public message.

“Whitley is looking to wage war with the entire world. To that end, he's created an unimaginable weapon...”

Ruby glanced at Weiss, stood, and walked to the front of the bullhead. She sat in the co-pilot's seat.

“Flynt,” She said, “Hold up.”

“Yeah?” Flynt asked.

“We can't mention Harbinger.”

Weiss and Winter looked towards Ruby from the back. Flynt looked between Ruby and his scroll for a moment.

“Nobody has ever created a weapon like it before, because nobody was insane enough to conceive it,” Ruby said, “If the world sees that something like that can exist, they'll start trying to recreate it. And then it's only a matter of time.”

“Would the other Kingdoms... No, they would never build something like this,” Flynt said.

“They would have to,” Winter said, “They would have to assume the other Kingdoms were trying to make them. So they would have to make their own. And they would have to be the ones who had the most, and they would have to make everyone believes they're willing to use them...”

“The world would never be the same,” Ruby said, “We have to do everything in our power to make sure Harbinger dies with Whitley.”

“So what do we tell them Whitley's planning?” Flynt asked.

“We won't lie,” Weiss said, “We'll tell them he's planning a war against the world. That and evidence of his crimes will be enough. Enough to get the whole city up in arms and rebelling. That'll keep the military busy with damage control, giving us a chance to take him and Harbinger down.”

Flynt nodded. He rewound a few seconds of his recording, and began recording over it.

A few minutes later, they reached their destination. The bullhead lurched as it decelerated, coming to a stop within sight of the CCTS. Weiss stood, and pulled open the side door. Below, the streets were bustling with civilians. They were going about their days, going in and out of the CCTS, shopping, getting coffee. There wasn't a trace of debris or destruction anywhere.

“Whitley bombed this street,” Weiss said, “Less than a week ago.”

“All of the death he causes,” Winter said, “It just gets wiped away. Painted and polished over, so people can pretend nothing is wrong.”

Flynt turned on the auto-pilot, and walked back to join them. Ruby leaned out the door, drawing Crescent Rose.

“That ends today,” Flynt said, “Let's go.”

They jumped.

 

* * *

 

The Core Server Room was a massive, almost cavernous room, dimly lit and filled with server towers in rows. Each stood 4 meters tall, a grid of monoliths of communication data, covered in blinking lights and emitted a chorus of humming. The room was kept cold, a thin fog filling the room to waist height. A small group of guards were gathered at the main entrance of the room, keeping their guns trained on the large armoured door. Their armour had good enough thermal layering to keep them warm. It wasn't the cold they were shivering from. They heard gunfire from outside the room- barrages of automatic fire and shotgun blasts, being silenced one by one with explosions of Dust and sniper rifle fire. The soldiers tensed up, each ducking a little lower behind the consoles and server towers they were using as cover.

The server room door opened a crack. The soldiers opened fire at the silver of light, each sending out a dozen rounds. There was silence on the other side of the door. Several seconds ticked by, the soldiers peering out just a little more, looking for a shifting shadow in the beam of light. A swarm of rose petals flew through the crack. It spiralled up into the air above them. The soldiers all fired. Their bullets shot through the cloud of petals and struck the door. The cloud swirled before them as they fired, letting them waste bullets. All at once, the soldiers ran out of ammo. They fumbled to reload. The door shot open, sending a brilliant wave of light into the room. Standing in the doorway were Weiss and Winter Schnee, and Flynt Coal. The rose petals formed into Ruby Rose, who dropped down to the floor in front of them. Weiss waved Myrtenaster, sending a Dust blast at each of the soldiers. Two were struck directly in the chest, the other three ducked behind cover, continuing to reload. Ruby and Winter shot forward, Ruby landing on the side of the server tower behind on of the soldiers, and rebounding off of it, taking him down. Winter slid along the floor, and caught the corner of another tower that a soldier was using as cover. Her momentum carried her around the tower, and she thrusted her sword into her target's chest.

The last soldier finished inserting a fresh magazine and yanked back the bolt. He spun and fired wildly at the four of them. Weiss quickly formed a shield of Ice, while Flynt dove for cover. Ruby used her Speed to rush around the server towers, heading to flank the soldier. The soldier caught her movement and fired, wasting more bullets on her petal form. Winter dashed at the soldier, who had turned his back on her to follow Ruby. She struck him in the ankle as she slid past him, sending him to the ground. Weiss dropped her shield, letting it shatter on the floor. She leapt, flipped in the air, and came down on the soldier, sword first.

Weiss drew her scroll and began dialling Theo.

“Ruby, Flynt, you two cover the door,” Weiss said, “Winter, with me.”

Ruby came to a stop, nodded to Weiss, and switched Crescent to rifle-form. She moved up to the door, and took cover beside it. Flynt stepped through the door and took his spot on the other side. Weiss put her scroll to her ear and heard her call being picked up.

“Well, that was fast,” Theo said, “More soldiers are being dispatched to the CCTS. Working on sending a message telling them to stand down.”

“We don't need long,” Weiss said, “We're in the server room. Tell me where to go.”

“Tower ID numbers should be written around eye level,” Theo said, “You want Tower number... CT145.”

Weiss ran through the rows of towers, reading ID numbers. It took a few moments, the letters of the ID numbers not escalating or deescalating in any logical fashion.

“Got it!” Weiss said, “CT145!”

“Plug in your scroll on the micro-transition port left of the main port,” Theo said.

Weiss drew a connector cable from one of her pouches and connected her scroll to the tower, as instructed. The scroll's screen rapidly opened and closed several windows. A black command screen opened and stayed open, waiting for an input.

“Command screen open,” Weiss reported.

Winter stopped next to Weiss and peered over her shoulder, watching curiously.

“We need to prep the system for the file upload,” Theo said, “Type exactly as I say.”

Weiss heard Ruby and Flynt both firing their weapons. She glanced in their direction, but the grid of towers blocked her view.

“Everything alright?” Weiss called.

“Just fine!” Ruby said.

“Hurry!” Flynt shouted.

“Problems?” Theo asked.

“No, tell me what to do,” Weiss said.

“I want you to type 'access', pound key, 'command list', open bracket, 'admin', close bracket.”

Weiss typed in the code.

“Output?” Theo asked.

“Admin access undefined,” Weiss said, “What does that mean?”

“That's okay,” Theo said, “ type 'protocol', period, 'overwrite', colon, 'grant access', colon, 'administrator'.”

“Admin access undefined,” Weiss repeated.

“Hmm,” Theo said, “'protocol', period, 'overwrite', colon, 'overwrite', colon, 'repeal block', colon, 'admin access'.

“Is this going to work?” Winter asked.

Weiss held up a finger to Winter as she typed in the code.

“It says, “admin access open”?” Weiss said.

“Lovely,” Theo said, “Request admin access again. Ahh- protocol.overwrite, grant access: administrator.”

Weiss typed in the code again.

Ruby was scoped in, watching the staircase at the end of the hallway. There were no other routes into the Core Server Room. Reinforcements would be coming from there. She caught a blur of movement just to the periphery of her scope. Flynt fired, and the approaching soldiers were peppered with bullets before Ruby could shift her aim. She snapped her cross-hairs onto each of the soldiers as they fell, giving each a finishing shot. Glancing over her scope, Ruby saw the attackers falling dead, and nobody coming behind them. She gave Flynt a nod. Flynt smiled at her as he reloaded. As he inserted a new mag, bullets whizzed by his head, just missing him. He swore, pulled back behind cover, and blindfired around the corner. Ruby scoped in, looking to the source of the shots. A soldier with an LMG had stayed behind cover while his squadmates had advanced. Now he was exposing himself to fire on them. Ruby couldn't get a shot on his head or chest, but one of his legs was sticking out. She fired, hitting him just below the knee. He cried out in pain and fell out of cover. Ruby headshotted him before he hit the ground.

“Flynt!” Winter shouted, running to them from further into the server room, “Weiss needs you! Do you have that video ready?”

Flynt looked back to her. He fished his scroll out of his pocket.

“Yeah,” He said, “Ready as it'll ever be.”

“Go,” Winter said, “Ruby and I will hold the door.”

Flynt nodded and headed into the server room, in the direction Winter had come from. Winter looked out the door at the staircase piled with downed soldiers.

“How long can we hold this?” Winter asked.

“Depends on how long we- uh oh,” Ruby said.

Another group of soldiers came charging down the stairs, stepping over the soldiers who'd come before them. At their lead was a soldier in another EXO-08 suit. He was keeping his team shielded with dual-wielded riot shields. Winter drew her sword, and hit the switch, launching her second sword into her other hand.

“Cover me,” She said.

Winter placed a Glyph behind herself, and shot forward at the advancing troops. Ruby spun around the corner and covered her as she streaked towards the guy in the lead.

Flynt reached the server tower where Weiss was standing. Weiss held out the end of a connector cable. Flynt took it in one hand and held his scroll in the other. He looked down at the video playing on the scroll. He stared at it, not moving, for several seconds.

“What's wrong?” Weiss asked.

“I just... I just need to know that it's ready,” Flynt said, “That it's right.”

An explosion rocked the room, echoing from the direction of the door.

“Flynt!” Weiss shouted.

“Okay,” He said.

He plugged the cable into the scroll. A still image of the video's first frame appeared on a small screen on the side of the server tower.

“Theo, now what?” Weiss asked.

“Just type play,” Theo said.

 

* * *

 

On the streets outside, a police line was being set up, keeping civilians out of the CCTS. More soldiers were arriving and charging into the building every minute. The crowds of civilians were watching with interest, but something was starting to distract them. The massive screens broadcasting propaganda had begun flickering. Some went entirely blue for a few seconds before the news feeds came back. Others flashed between white and black. Everybody turned away from the CCTS to watch. A few people pulled out their scrolls and found the same interference. All at once, every screen, on the walls, the scrolls, televisions in homes, even the AR displays in soldier's helmets, switched to a new image. A video feed showing the face of Flynt Coal.

“People of Atlas,” He said, “My name is Flynt Coal. Some of you remember me as a Huntsman. Some of you think of me as a resistance leader. And some of you probably see me as a terrorist. Regardless of what I am to you, you all have to know who Whitley Schnee is. What his Government has been doing- is still doing- to our Kingdom. He is the reason for everything the resistance has done- not to harm Atlas, but to save it.”

The video immediately cut to the streets of Mantle. A shaky amateur video showing Atlas airships filling the sky, and Atlas soldiers opening fire on civilians. The people in the crowded street gasped in horror. The holder of the camera ducked behind a car, and peeked the camera around it, revealing a line of civilians on their knees, a soldier behind each of them. A massive, black-clad Colonel wearing rocket gauntlets waved a hand, dismissively, and the whole row of civilians was executed. Screams echoed out of the crowd watching the feed.

“Schnee's Government has waged a campaign of terror and murder, suppressing any who pose a threat to his rule. He's blamed the deaths he's caused on Huntsmen and Huntresses. His propaganda has made us- he's made the people think that Huntsmen are the enemy. He's taken our freedom, our liberty, our humanity away from us, by making us fearful of a scapegoat. And all the time, he's used the Huntsmen as a distraction for what he's doing behind the scenes.”

Still images of documents, e-mails, and files appeared on screen one after another. Government officials, lawyers, judges, intelligence operatives. A few had 'Deceased' stamped across their image. The e-mails passed by too quickly to be read in full, but what could be gleaned from a quick scan showed they were talking about various cover-up efforts.

“Schnee's rise to power has been anything but legal. He had almost 200 people assassinated before he even held a seat on the council. He's since eliminated anybody who would even consider threatening him. The only people left in his Government are pawns who will execute any atrocity he orders. His most recent assassination was General James Ironwood. Ironwood never stopped fighting to protect Atlas from his takeover. I personally witnessed him being assassinated, so that the truth would die with him.”

More images of the Atlas military attacking its own people were being displayed. Military airships bombing supply lines of rival Dust companies. More executions. People being held prisoner.

“Schnee's sights are set on more than just Atlas. He aims to start a war with the entire world. A war that will tear all the Kingdoms apart. He doesn't care if he destroys humanity in his attempts to conquer it. If he is to be stopped, we all have to fight. Myself, Weiss and Winter Schnee, and Ruby Rose have been fighting to stop him, but it can't be just us anymore. More than just the good of Atlas is at risk. If we hope to return Atlas to what it used to be, to what it was before Whitley Schnee stole it, we cannot stand by. We have to fight back. To anybody in the Atlas military: you joined to serve Atlas. To protect its people. Join us.”

The video went black, but the audio didn't stop. Flynt's voice was replaced by a different speaker. A voice all of Atlas recognized.

“Attention all Atlas troops. This is General James Ironwood. Lay down your arms and withdraw from Mantle immediately. Whitley Schnee may have stripped me of my rank, but I am still fighting for Atlas, and I will not abide seeing the military I once commanded attack its own people! If any of you have any respect left for me or for the uniform you wear, stop this attack, lay down your arms and withdraw!”

The video cut out. The giant screens over the streets of Atlas returned to news and propaganda. The newscasters of the Atlas News Network were staring forward, utterly dumbfounded. The people in the crowd turned and looked to each other. Slowly, their gaze moved in unison to the soldiers on the steps of the CCTS building.

 

* * *

 

Flynt and Weiss looked up at each other. The video had played on their own scrolls as well. Flynt bit his lip.

“Thought it was alright.” He said.

“It's good.” Weiss said, “It'll work.”

They walked to the door of the Server Room. Ruby and Winter stood amongst a pile of dead soldiers. Both were still staring down at their scrolls. Ruby looked up from her scroll at them and smiled.

“Whitley is finished,” Ruby said, “One way or another. Time to go stop Harbinger.”

 

* * *

 

Mercury and Theo stood in front of Theo's computer, staring at the screen. Theo was rubbing his chin in thought.

“Eh, not bad,” Theo said.

“Half of Atlas is going to be fighting the other half,” Mercury said, “This is going to be fun.”

“Yeah,” Theo said, “And then who knows what the other Kingdoms do.”

Mercury chuckled, then stopped.

“The other Kingdoms?” He asked.

Theo looked at Mercury, then at his computer, then back.

“Yeah.”

“...Theo, you noticed that Flynt was addressing Atlas specifically, right?” Mercury asked.

“Yeah, I found that odd,” Theo said, “He said all screens.”

“But... there's a communication block...” Mercury began.

“Oh. _Oh._ I may have misunderstood what we were doing,” Theo said, “We just disabled that.”

Mercury looked between Theo and the computer. He chuckled nervously.

 

* * *

 

Halfway across the world, in an ornate office decorated with the flag of Menagerie, Blake Belladonna was seated at her desk. She was dressed in a stately black suit, with a black overcoat. She had been penning a letter when the television in front of her had begun playing of its own accord. Now she sat staring at the black screen, stunned silent. She slowly turned to her left, where Yang Xiao Long had been lounging on the couch. Yang was looking between Blake and the television in disbelief.

“She said they'd be on one mission! For a week!” Yang yelled.

 


	22. Chapter 22

Weiss, Winter, Ruby, and Flynt ran up the stairs from the CCTS's sub-levels. They hadn't met any resistance on the way back up, which they were starting to find odd.

“It went everywhere?” Ruby repeated.

“All screens, all Kingdoms,” Weiss said, “This might not be good.”

They reached the top of the staircase and began running down the hall towards the CCTS's lobby.

“Puts a lot of pressure on Whitley,” Flynt said, “If that was the plan, I guess that- oh shit! I said he was planning on attacking all the other Kingdoms!”

“We have to take Whitley down before this turns into a global war!” Winter said.

“This was supposed to be one mission!” Ruby said, “For a week!”

They reached the main doors of the building. Before they could run through, there was a cacophonous crash. A truck came crashing through the glass panes of the front of the building. Outside, explosions, gunfire and screaming were rising into a symphony of chaos.

“What the Hell?!” Weiss yelled.

“Thought so.” Ruby said.

They burst through the doors and ran out. Outside, the city which had been living in blissful ignorance only 20 minutes before had turned into a warzone. People were rioting, smashing storefronts, throwing molotovs, arming themselves with bats and any blunt or bladed instrument they could use as a weapon. Atlas soldiers were firing at the ground at the rioters' feet, trying to scatter them. It wasn't working. The rioters were swinging, slashing and attacking any soldier they saw. Military vehicles were rolling through the crowds, getting hit with molotovs and being battered with melee weapons.

“Wow, that was fast!” Flynt said.

A military truck with a mounted heavy machine gun came to a stop in front of the crowd of rioters. A soldier climbed up onto the turret from within and levelled it at the crowd. He wasn't aiming at the ground. The four Hunters raised their weapons. Before they could fire, the gunner was shot through the head from the other side. Emerging from in between the burning wrecks of two cars, an Atlas soldier appeared, gun still aimed at the turret. He wasn't wearing a helmet- he'd removed it, revealing his face and wild hair. He was followed by a group of other soldiers, who'd similarly removed their helmets.

“Fan out!” The soldier ordered his men, “Take down anyone threatening the civilians!”

He grabbed his radio and spoke into it.

“You all heard Ironwood,” He said, “Anybody wants to fight for Atlas, we're going helmets off.”

One of the soldiers firing suppressive fire at the civilians stopped shooting. He looked at his gun, and turned back towards the troop of advancing soldiers behind him. He reached up and wrenched his helmet off. He reloaded, turned and started firing in the other direction. He glanced up the steps of CCTS and noticed the four Hunters. He stared at them curiously for a moment, then turned back to the fight, advancing on his former comrades.

“A lot of people are going to die in this fight,” Ruby said.

The squad of soldiers who'd first removed their helmets fanned out, and the squad leader made his way across the street, firing in the direction of the Atlas troops. He came up the stairs to meet the four of them.

“Flynt Coal?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Flynt said.

“Lt. Billy Barton,” The soldier said, “Saw your little PSA. I know a lot of people in the military who've had their doubts about Schnee for a while. They'll join this fight against him. But we're disorganized, and outnumbered.”

“Can you keep Schnee's forces busy while we work to take him down?” Flynt asked.

“It would help if you joined us,” Barton said to Flynt, “The people will listen to you. This is just a riot. You can turn it into an uprising.”

Flynt looked to the huntresses beside him. They looked at him.

“We've got this,” Weiss said, “Go fight for Atlas. Mercury is going to meet us at November Facility.”

“Alright,” Flynt said, then turned to Barton, “Give me a radio.”

Barton handed him his radio. Flynt spoke into it.

“Any soldiers willing to join the fight for Atlas,” Flynt said, “If you're surrounded by Schnee's forces, don't get yourself killed. Wait for your moment. Atlas doesn't need you killing yourself to kill a couple others. We need you alive and fighting. To those loyal to Schnee: Join us. Your comrades might already be thinking about it.”

The crowd filling the streets was organizing themselves. They weren't just doing damage now, they were gathering. They were pushing back the soldiers, protecting the wounded, and taking ground. Flynt nodded, and headed down the steps, waving to the other three. He rushed to an injured woman and began giving aid.

“Alright,” Weiss said, “Steal another bullhead, then?”

 

* * *

 

The November Facility was a gargantuan complex- a combination of a massive war factory and a launching platform. Chimneys billowed black smoke as massive industrial machines worked to build Whitley's doomsday weapons. Weiss, Ruby, and Winter's new bullhead swooped in over the facility, lurching about awkwardly. Ruby was in the pilot's seat, struggling with the controls.

Weiss saw the launch platform. It was clearly designed for launching missiles, and yet was almost cartoonishly oversized. Missiles the size of aircraft. The idea was still so horrifying to Weiss as to be mind-numbing. There was a set of tracks leading from within the factory to the platform. On a giant metal cart, trundling along the track, was a missile. The last of the industrial machinery, visible through the massive door into the facility, was screwing a few final pieces of panelling into place.

“They almost have the first one ready!” Ruby said.

“Then we destroy that first,” Weiss said, “Cover the track with debris, and damage the platform. That'll delay the-”

The three of them were abruptly thrown to the left side of the ship by an impact on the right. An anti-aircraft slug had struck the bullhead. Ruby pulled herself up to the controls, and looked out the windscreen.

“Paladin on the roof!” Ruby yelled.

The mech on the roof fired again, this slug striking the bullhead's right engine. The Paladin's standard weaponry had been swapped out for anti-aircraft armaments. It deployed a missile pod and launched a barrage of mini-missiles. The missiles tore into the fuselage of the bullhead, turning its uncontrolled spin into a nosedive.

“Well, we weren't planning on landing this thing, anyway,” Weiss said.

She threw open the side-door and the three of them dove out. They flew clear of the plummeting ship just as it smashed into the roof of the facility. They landed in unison in front of the Paladin. The Paladin took a step back, almost like it was afraid. It armed the anti-air gatling gun on its arm, opening up on them. The three of them shot in different directions, each easily evading the shots. Weiss flanked the mech and then charged. She jumped at it, thrusting her sword forward. She struck it in the shoulder, stabbing just between the armour plates and into the sensitive electronics of the arm. Winter jumped on top of the mech from the other side, dual-wielding her swords and slashing wildly at the mech's weapons. Ruby dodged back and forth in front of the mech, baiting its fire. In a matter of seconds, the mech was crumbling, struggling to move as the Schnee sisters cut it apart. It fell down a useless heap in front of them.

Alarms had begun to blare across the facility. Bullheads were being launched from a separate building a short distance away, racing to get to the facility. Ruby ran over to a large air conditioning unit. With a swing of Crescent Rose, she sliced it in half, then kicked away the remains.

“This is where the Harbingers are being built,” Ruby said, “Everybody down there is loyal to Whitley.”

“Right,” Weiss said.

They jumped down the vent, hearing the bullheads above firing at them, uselessly. They dropped straight down towards a turn in the vent. Weiss fired a blast of Fire Dust downward that blew the vent apart, opening a hole into the facility. They dropped through and found themselves falling through a cavernous factory, built around a giant conveyor belt. The belt moved past dozen of industrial machines, each assembling components and attaching them to the growing forms of Harbinger missiles. The three of them landed directly on the conveyor belt. Scientists, engineers, and soldiers all turned and looked in shock at the intruders.

“Well,” said Weiss, looking down the conveyor, “We know where we're going.”

The soldiers in the room all raised their weapons and fired. Ruby dodged, switched Crescent to rifle-form, and started snapping off shot in return. Weiss spun, firing blasts of Dust in every direction. Winter flipped and spun in the air, spinning her sword to deflect incoming shots. They were going through the soldiers with ease. One of them dove for cover and drew his radio.

“Automated defences!” He yelled, “Activate everything!”

From the walkways on the walls on either side of the room, combat droids started to activate. They leapt over the railings and charged the conveyor belt. Ruby transformed Crescent into scythe-form and used Speed to dash along the length of the conveyor, spinning her scythe as she went. The first of the droids to reach the belt were cleaved to pieces. Weiss threw out a Summoning Glyph, and the ghostly form of Emerald Sustrai burst out of it. The Summon spun about, picking off headshots with its dual revolvers. The droids began crawling onto the conveyor, and Weiss began to slice them back down. As she moved past the giant assembly machines, she sliced wildly, doing as much damage to her surroundings as to her attackers.

 

* * *

 

At the Western end of the facility was the administration and logistics section of the factory. Several floors of offices and command rooms, filled will personnel. The armed guards were rushing towards the production floor to stop the intruders. The personnel running the facility were rushing to get more automated defences online. A group of three guards were rushing towards a staircase that lead to one of the walkways over the conveyor belt. As they reached the door at the end of the hall, the one furthest back was yanked backwards off his feet. He only got out a small yelp of surprise. The guard in front of him turned at the sound. Before he saw anything, a metal-clad boot struck him across the face.

The guard in front turned, and raised his rifle. Their attacker was a silver blur that ducked under his firing line, and leg swept him. By the time he hit the ground, an axe kick met him in the neck, crushing his throat.

Mercury stood up straight, and glanced around. He noticed the second guy was still trying to get up. He grabbed him by the head and brought his knee into the guy's temple. He walked down the hall, checking the labels on each door.

“Accounting... Personnel files... Human Resources... Turret Control... sure, that'll do,” Mercury said.

The door was locked, and there was a keypad next to the handle. Mercury didn't even bother with the keypad before kicking the door off its hinges. He stepped into the room. It consisted of a few rows of desks with computer stations. At the front of the room was a massive window overlooking the production floor, with a main console beneath it. The engineers in the room all looked to the intruder in shock. Mercury smirked at them.

“You can run if you like.” He said.

The engineers all took off, rushing for the door on the opposite end of the room. Mercury spotted what looked like the chief engineer among them. He kicked his foot up and fired, the shot hitting the engineer in the back of the leg. He fell to the ground and the other engineers ran out without him.

“Not you,” Mercury said, “Need you.”

He walked over to the chief engineer and dragged him to his feet. He pulled him over to the main console, the man limping on his injured leg.

“Don't be a baby, I didn't hit the bone,” Mercury said.

“Please, please, I'm just a-” The engineer begged.

Mercury thrust him down on his knees in front of the console.

“Program the turrets to target the droids,” Mercury said.

“I can't do that!” The engineer said, “The system won't allow it!”

Mercury grabbed the engineer's arm and placed it between his own legs. He positioned himself to apply force to the man's elbow.

“No, no, alright, I can do it!” The engineer shouted.

With his free hand, he typed in a short sequence, adjusted a few dials, and hit a button. The turrets along the length of the facility began to activate. From the window, Mercury saw Weiss, Winter, and Ruby react in surprise. The turrets all began firing, cutting down the Atlas droids. The three huntresses looked between each other, shrugged, and went back to fighting.

“Thank you, sir.” Mercury said.

He grabbed the engineer by the back of the head and slammed his face into the console with a bone-cracking impact. As the engineer slumped to the ground, Mercury heard rushing footsteps behind him. Guards poured into the room through the destroyed door, levelling their weapons at him.

“Hi, guys.” Mercury said, waving.

 

* * *

 

Weiss flipped into the air, letting the blade of a chainsword slice through the air beneath her. She landed, and face the soldier in the exo-suit who had swung at her. He swung the sword over his head and brought it down at her. Weiss back-stepped and fired a blast of Ice Dust at the chainsword, freezing it to the surface of the conveyor belt. She ran forward, charging up the length of the sword and thrusting her sword into the chest of the soldier. She pulled the sword out as her momentum carried her over his head. As she landed again, she heard an unexpected sound: the ring-tone of her scroll.

She drew her scroll, firing Dust blasts with her sword in the other hand. She looked at the screen and saw that it was Yang Xiao Long calling. Weiss snorted in surprise and hit the accept call button.

“Hello?” She said, putting down a Summoning Glyph.

“Hey, Weiss, been a while,” Yang said, “What are you up to?”

The Giant Armour emerged from the Glyph. The soldiers spilling out onto the production floor opened fire, and the Armour slammed its sword into the conveyor next to Weiss, giving her a barrier.

“Oh, you know,” Weiss said, “Family stuff.”

“Uh huh,” Yang said, “How's that going?”

“About how I expected,” Weiss said.

“Right, well, I've been trying to reach Ruby,” Yang said, “Is she there?”

“Oh yeah, she's right here,” Weiss said, “You want to talk to her?”

“Please.”

Weiss called out to Ruby. Ruby dodged a burst of turret fire as it cut the droid next to her in half, then Sped over to Weiss. Weiss tossed the scroll towards her and immediately turned her attention back to the fight.

“It's your sister!” Weiss shouted.

Ruby caught the scroll and put it to her ear.

“Hello?” Ruby said, “Hey Yang!”

Ruby switched Crescent to rifle-form and picked off a soldier running along one of the walkways above. A grenade landed near her feet, and she backflipped away from it. She swung towards the source of the grenade and shot down the soldier who'd thrown it.

“Hey, Ruby,” Yang said, “Are you busy with something?”

“No, no, I can talk.”

The conveyor brought Ruby to a massive machine meant to apply armour plating to the missiles. Ruby yanked a piece of metal armour from the machine's grasp, and wedged it down into the conveyor, giving herself a piece of cover.

“Alright,” Yang said, “So, how's the trip to Atlas going?”

“I know, I know,” Ruby said, “I said one mission. Things might have gotten slightly out of hand.”

“So you're trying to take down an entire government?” Yang asked.

“Yang, there's more going on here than what was on that broadcast,” Ruby said, “Whitley needs to be stopped.”

Ruby glanced around her cover. Mechs were starting to arrive on the production floor. The security forces had figured out that the turrets were hijacked and were quickly shooting them down.

“I believe you,” Yang said, “And I wouldn't expect you to do anything else. Do you need me up there?”

Ruby took aim at an approaching mech. It saw her and raised a missile pod from its back. Ruby waited for the exact moment it fired, and she fired back. Her bullet struck a missile still in its tube, and the pod exploded, showering the mech in burning metal.

“We've got this,” Ruby said.

“Are you sure?” Yang asked.

“Weiss and I aren't affiliated with any government,” Ruby said, firing shots at the mech's sensitive joints, the scroll tucked between her cheek and her shoulder, “You and Blake come here, and it's an act of war. Trust me, we've got this.”

Ruby glanced down the conveyor to see three Paladins climb onto the belt, surrounding Winter.

“Oh crap!” Ruby shouted, “Yang, I'll see you soon. Talk to Weiss for a second!”

Ruby tossed the scroll towards Weiss, who caught it out of the air as she weaved between the feet of the Armour. Ruby shot down the conveyor, deploying Crescent's scythe-form.

“Yang?” Weiss asked.

“Yeah, I'm here, is Ruby okay?”

“She's doing fine,” Weiss said, “She's right, Yang. We can take down Whitley tonight. But if Menagerie gets involved...”

“It could turn into a war,” Yang said, “Well, look. Blake has been talking to the other Kingdoms. The broadcast has everyone panicked. They want to attack Atlas before Atlas attacks first.”

“And what does Blake want to do?” Weiss asked.

“She knows you and Ruby are going to take the whole Kingdom down,” Yang said, “She's trying to keep the other Kingdoms calm.”

“Tell her to keep that up,” Weiss said, “This will be over soon.”

“And after?” Yang asked.

“Haven't figured that part out yet,” Weiss said.

There was a thunderous crash from down the conveyor. Weiss glanced over to see the last of the Paladins falling, destroyed. Up ahead, the massive door of the facility was approaching, and the launch pad was coming into view.

“Listen, Yang, I have to go,” Weiss said, “We're wrapping this up.”

“Okay,” Yang said, “You and Ruby stay safe, okay?”

“Yeah. Bye.” Weiss said.

She hung up, and ran to meet Ruby. The Armour was still tanking a barrage of incoming shots. It walked over to a massive machine that appeared to be some sort of drill, and tore it up from the floor. It threw the hulk of metal at a walkway where a group of soldiers were gathered. Weiss reached Ruby and Winter, and they looked out at the single intact Harbinger missile in the facility. It had made it to the launch pad. They were just starting to walk towards it when the jet engines at the bottom fired.

 

* * *

 

In the Main Control Center of the facility, the general in charge watched on the main screen as the three Huntresses tore apart the production line. He ordered wave after wave of security forces at them, and watched helplessly as each was destroyed. He was gritting his teeth in anger, while at the same time, beads of sweat were forming on his temple.

“I want more AK-250s on the high ground. Focus fire on that knight thing. We have new orders from the President-General. We're firing the first missile now.”

“What's the target, sir?” Asked the engineer at the firing control station.

“Beacon Academy,” The general said, “Take out one of our targets, cripple global communications, and break the will of these Aura-users in one fell swoop.”

“We're almost ready, sir. Priming firing mechanisms,” The engineer said, “Setting target... triangulating... and...”

The door to the Control Center exploded inward. The guards in the room all drew their handguns and took aim, but they were too slow. Mercury Black came flying into the room, landing a flying kick into the chest of the nearest guard. He landed, rolled, and spun on the ground, firing off a barrage of blasts from his boots. Each of the guards were taken down. The general drew not a gun, but a combat knife. As Mercury rose and closed the distance to him, the general thrust directly at Mercury's chest.

“Launch! Launch now!” The general shouted.

Mercury side-stepped the thrust, and brought his knee up, knocking the knife from the general's hands and up into the air. The general threw a wild punch at Mercury's face. Mercury snatched hold of the general's wrist, pulled him into an arm lock, and snapped his arm with ease. He kneed the general in the chest, knocking him backwards against the main screen. He spotted the knife falling out of the air. He spun into a roundhouse kick, striking the knife perfectly. It shot across the room and into the general's throat.

“Hot damn, I'm good.” Mercury said.

He turned his attention to the engineer at the control station. The guy was shivering, hands in the air.

“I just work here!” He begged, “I haven't done anything! You have no reason to kill me!”

“Target Confirmed,” The computer he was stationed at said, in a monotonous female voice, “Launch initiated.”

The engineer glanced nervously at the screen. Mercury stared at him, face blank.

“Oh,” The engineer said, “Um...”

 

* * *

 

The missile's jet plume flared in all directions as the monstrous form rose up from the platform, accelerating towards the sky.

“Where's it going?!” Winter asked.

“Does it matter?” Ruby asked, “We have to stop it!”

The thunderous footsteps of the Armour shook the ground around them. The Armour charged past them, out the door of the building and into the sunlight. Weiss sprinted between Winter and Ruby, not even slowing to glance in their direction. The Armour tossed its sword aside, and held its open hand behind it. Weiss leapt into the air, and landed in the Armour's palm. It threw her with all its strength. Weiss went flying away from them so fast she disappeared from view.

“Whoa!” Ruby shouted.

Wind screamed in Weiss's ears. Her eyes watered from the speed. The Harbinger missile was flying upwards, already going at least a couple hundred kilometers per hour. Weiss closed on it so fast it might as well have been hovering in place. She didn't throw out any Glyphs to slow herself down before impact. She slammed into the side of the missile, sword first. Myrtenaster plunged into the armour plating, lodging itself in place. Weiss clung on with all her strength, the wind and the acceleration working in tandem to try and tear her off. With a wave of her free hand, Weiss placed a Glyph under her feet, on the surface of the missile, that held her in place. She pointed upwards along the missile, placing a row of Glyphs. Step by step, she began climbing up the side of it.

“Put up with enough of your shit.” Weiss grunted.

She reached the top third of the missile. She'd been studying the missiles in glimpses as they moved along the conveyor belt. This was about where the payload was. She charged up her sword with an entire chamber of Fire Dust at once. She stabbed it into the armoured casing, and pulled to one side, carving a hole into the plate.

“Hurt my friends. Hurt our family.” She spat.

The hole she opened up allowed air to flow into the body of the missile. The extreme winds tore part of the casing of the missile right off. Unfortunately, this was the part of the missile Weiss was clinging to. She fell back a few meters, and managed to stab Myrtenaster into the missile further down. She cried out in anger, and then began working her way back up.

“Now I have to protect the entire world from you and your ego.”

Weiss looked into the guts of the missile through the hole she'd opened up. It was a mess of wiring, electronic components, Dust containers, Dust crystals, and more. Far more complicated than even she could figure out at a glance. At a loss of ideas, Weiss simply grabbed every component within reach and began ripping them from the missile. She yanked wires, pulled out circuit boards and canisters, and crush Dust crystals in her hand. With each yank, sparks flew. Eventually, as she ripped components more components out, showers of sparks started bursting from other places in the massive web of electronics. Weiss took that as a good sign. For good measure, she rotated Myrtenaster's cylinder, selected Lightning, and emptied the chamber into the payload. Dust components exploded, electrical circuits fizzled and fried, and parts of the device burst into flame. Weiss put her feet to the side of the missile and pushed off.

She tumbled through the air, the plume of exhaust from the missile just missing her. As she fell away from the missile, it blew apart in mid-air. The payload didn't detonate; it simply crumbled as the missile disassembled. Weiss breathed a sigh of relief even as she shot towards the ground. She was plummeting so fast, she could hardly breathe. The world around her was starting to get dark. The facility, far beneath her, came into view just as she started to pass out. She struggled to get in position for a landing, but her body wouldn't respond. She was losing consciousness. As the ground shot up to meet her, everything went black.

 

* * *

 

Weiss opened her eyes, blinking slowly, then rapidly in the bright light. She was laying on her back in the snow. Ruby and Winter were crouched down over her, both looking concerned. Weiss looked past them, into the sky, where the trail of smoke from the missile abruptly terminated in a much large cloud.

“We did it?” Weiss asked.

“You did it.” Ruby said.

Winter stared at the destroyed facility in the distance.

“Broke all your toys, Whitley.” She whispered.

Mercury stood a short distance away, arms crossed. Weiss sat up and looked at him. She gave him a quick nod.

“How did I survive the fall?” Weiss asked.

“I summoned a Nevermore,” Winter said.

Weiss reached over and pulled her into a hug.

“What's left of Schnee's forces are abandoning the facility,” Mercury said, “Heading back towards the city.”

“Whitley.” Weiss said, standing, “He's holing up. Gathering what he has left to protect himself.”

“It won't help.” Ruby said.

“No, it won't.” Weiss said, “Let's-”

She was cut off by the ringing of her scroll. She fished it out of its pouch on her hip, and looked at the screen. She froze.

“Who is it?” Winter asked, to no answer, “...who is it?”

“It's Whitley.” Weiss said.

 


	23. Chapter 23

Weiss clutched handfuls of course white feathers, winds whipping her hair about. Up here, the air was colder than anywhere near the ground. The city was several kilometers below. The Schnee Manor wasn't directly beneath Winter's massive Nevermore, but it was easily reached with control of one's freefall. Weiss looked up at Winter, gripping the Nevermore closer to the neck. Winter looked back at her.  
“We have to jump soon!” Winter shouted, “The Nevermore can't take the altitude!”  
“You people are crazy!” Mercury shouted, from his spot on the creature's back, “You know that, right?”  
“Oh, try to have a little fun, you pansy,” Ruby laughed, before turning to Weiss, “You sure you don't need us down there?”  
“This is about the Schnees,” Weiss said, “It always has been. It has to be Winter and I who finish this. The city needs your help. Find Flynt down there and help him in the fight.”  
Without a further word, Mercury jumped from the back of the Nevermore. He somersaulted, and fired both of his boots upwards, rocketing him down towards the city. Weiss and Ruby and glanced after him, then to each other.  
“At the end of this-” Weiss said.  
“He doesn't get away.” Ruby said, “I know. Stay safe.”  
Ruby released her hold on the Nevermore, letting the wind pull her from its back. She backflipped, spun, and dove towards the city below, scythe extended. Weiss pulled herself up the Nevermore's back, coming up beside Winter.  
“Well,” Weiss said, “It's now or never.”  
“Let's go.” Winter said.  
The Nevermore gave a final call, and dissipated into nothing. Weiss and Winter were suddenly plummeting towards the city. Weiss locked eyes on the Schnee Manor and began guiding herself towards her target.

* * *

 

  
Whitley sat in his office, the lights dimmed, staring at the holo-screen on his desk. On it, he saw images of Atlas in chaos. Riots were tearing apart the city streets. Entire battalions of soldiers had turned on the military, and were waging a civil war. The military's defensive lines were holding, but starting to weaken. The rebels were slowly but surely taking more territory. Past the holo-screen, gathered in the shadowy office, were Whitley's generals and advisers. Whitley looked at the scroll on his desk. Weiss had hung up on him about an hour ago. Whitley drummed his fingertips on the desktop, wracking his brain for an idea of what to do.  
“We've lost all control of Mantle,” One of the generals said, “Rioting was the most extreme there. It was like they were all waiting for their queue.”  
“Have all forces remaining in Mantle fall back to the city,” Whitley said, “We'll burn that whole slum once we get control back.”  
Whitley opened the drawer on his desk and pulled out his rum bottle. He dumped some of the rum into a glass and tossed it back.  
“We were preparing for the eventuality of a coup attempt,” Another general said, “We've been psyche-profiling soldiers and keeping those who might choose patriotism over, well, you, away from assignments like the Mantle attacks. We thought forces that would remain loyal to us were in the vast majority. Unfortunately-”  
“Unfortunately...” Whitley said, standing, “My sisters and their friends have killed half my army in a week.”  
“An exaggeration, sir,” The general said, “but they killed enough of our loyalists to make a significant change in the, ah... ratio.”  
“And what ratio is that?” Whitley asked.  
“At least 30% of our forces have now joined the rebellion.”  
Whitley stared at him, then began pouring himself another drink. As he raised the glass to his lips, his hand started shaking. Abruptly, he turned and whipped the glass at the wall. It shattered, splattering rum over the painting of the Vacuo campaign. He grabbed the holo-emitter off the desk's surface, ripping it free from the wire. He threw it to the floor, roaring in anger. He slammed his fist down on the desk surface.  
“A whole new age for Atlas! That's what these animals are trying to tear down!” He shouted, “Everything I've done! I've toiled for these stupid peasants and insignificant people, and for what?! I had a plan for this Kingdom! Me! I could have created so much, for the simple price of a little destruction. I don't care what these simpletons want! These fools who don't know what's best for them! I have a cause! A will greater than all of theirs!”  
“Sir.” Another general said, stepping forward.  
“What?” Whitley asked, picking up the bottle.  
“There is a significant likelihood that the rebellion could take the city,” The general said, “And your sisters are assumed to be coming here now. And the other Kingdoms may be preparing preemptive attack as we speak. The odds of these events are reduced if... you were to step down.”  
Whitley took a long swig of rum, not breaking eye contact with the general.  
“...It would also increase the chances of survival of, well, everyone in this room.”  
Whitley lowered the bottle and gritted his teeth as the drink went down.  
“Shoot yourself in the head.” Whitley said.  
The general reached into his coat, drew a pistol and put it under his chin. He fired, and collapsed to the floor.  
“Is anybody else considering trying to usurp me?” Whitley asked.  
The others in the room were silent.  
“Good,” Whitley said, turning away from them, “Go give me back control of my city.”  
He heard the shuffle of the generals moving to leave the room. He set the bottle down on the desk, and ran a hand over his face. He pulled his hand away, and saw it was shaking again. He dropped his arm to his side.  
A rumble came from above. Then, an explosion. The generals looked up, then between themselves, then to Whitley. Whitley stared upwards, and ran his tongue over his teeth.  
“Welcome home, Weiss.” He whispered.

* * *

 

  
The door up to the roof exploded outwards, and two dozen soldiers charged out. On the roof, massive anti-air turrets had been deployed. They now lay in burning ruins. The soldiers fanned out, searching for any sign of hostiles. The soldiers who'd already been on the roof were scattered about, dead. One of the soldiers caught sight of movement near one turret.  
“There! Contact!” He yelled.  
The soldiers near him turned and raised their weapons. The figure jumped in surprise and put their hands in the air. The soldiers opened fire, cutting him down. When the hail of gunfire stopped, the soldiers looked between each other in surprise. The one who'd called out advanced, keeping his gun trained on the body. When he got close, he saw that it was the body of a technician who'd been working on the turret.  
“Shit.” He said.  
There was another technician ducked next to where the first had been standing. He had his hands up, trembling in terror. The soldier turned to him.  
“Where did they go?!” He demanded.  
“D- d- d-” The technician stammered, pointing downward at the edge of the roof.  
“Oh, damn it.” The soldier said.  
Two floors down, a window shattered inward. Weiss dove through the window and landed, sword at the ready. Winter swung in from the top of the window frame and landed next to her. A group of 5 soldiers ran around a corner just down the hall, investigating the noise. Their eyes landed on Weiss and Winter, and they raised their weapons in a panic. Weiss threw her sword, impaling the soldier in the lead. With a wave of her hand, she placed a Summoning Glyph in front of her, and an Ursa leapt out of it. It landed between the sisters and the soldiers, and charged. The soldiers opened fire, the bullets tearing into the Summon, but doing little to stop it. Weiss and Winter sprinted behind the Ursa, closing the distance to their foes. The Ursa collapsed as it reached the soldiers. Weiss and Winter leaped straight through the cloud of smoke it left behind, Weiss snatching her sword from the chest of the dead soldier.  
Winter slashed the throat of the nearest soldier, then thrusted into the chest of the second. Weiss hit the soldier nearest her with a flying kick, propelling him into the soldier behind him. Weiss placed a Glyph behind them, and they bounced off of it, back towards her. She ran her sword through both with one thrust. She pulled the sword free, and they both fell.  
Looking about, Weiss and Winter heard a stampede of approaching footsteps, from all directions. Winter hit the switch on her sword, deploying her second sword into her other hand. She spun them about, and nodded to Weiss. Weiss nodded back, then brought her sword up to fighting stance.

* * *

 

 

Flynt pulled the pin of an Ice Dust grenade and threw it at the approaching wall of Atlas military. A few of the soldiers in the phalanx of riot shields were caught in the blast, and frozen in place in a formation of ice. The crowd of rioters behind Flynt focussed their attention on the opening he'd created, throwing rocks, bricks, and molotovs at the break in the enemy's ranks. From over the row of riot shields, a barrage of grenades were fired. They flew over Flynt's head and into the crowd. People dove for cover and scrambled to get away from the blasts. The row of soldiers leading the military's charge pulled back their shields and fired at the panicked crowd with auto-pistols. Flynt grabbed the rifle hanging from his shoulder and fired back, picking off a few soldiers before they could raise their shields again. He focused on the soldiers near the frozen ones, widening the gap in their line.  
“Keep pushing!” Flynt yelled, “We're breaking through!”  
Lt. Billy Barton ran to Flynt's side, spraying fire at the soldiers. His gun ran empty, and he rushed to reload.  
“Don't give up!” He yelled to the crowd, “We win or we die!”  
“Airship!” Somebody yelled out from the crowd.  
Flynt looked up and saw a bullhead flying low over the military, approaching the crowd of rioters. It had two gatling guns mounted under its chin, and they were beginning to spin up. He glanced at Barton.  
“What now?” He asked.  
Barton looked out at the army of soldiers, still advancing forwards. Both sides were taking heavy losses. Barton caught sight of a soldier with a grenade launcher, climbing on top of a destroyed bus for a better shot on the civilians. He was well past the front lines of the military's forces.  
“I need that grenade launcher.” Barton said.  
“Alright,” Flynt said, “Let's go.”  
The two of them charged out ahead of the crowd. The soldiers caught sight of them and opened fire. They dodged left and right, and the incoming bullets tore apart the asphalt around them. They rapidly closed on the row of riot shields.  
“Give me your rifle!” Flynt shouted.  
Barton tossed the rifle to Flynt, who caught it in his other hand. He brought up both assault rifles, aimed at the enemy force. He activated his Semblance, and suddenly, there were four of him, running shoulder to shoulder. All eight rifles opened fire at once. The hail of fire was too much even for the shield-bearers, who stumbled back from the force of the barrage. One fell first, then the soldier next to him. The hail of fire cut a swathe into the forces behind them. Flynt's rifles ran empty, and he deactivated his Semblance, his copies re-forming into one of him. He tossed Barton's rifle back, and they each reloaded as they closed on the enemy.  
Barton reached down and grabbed up one of the fallen riot shields. He shielded himself with one hand and fired with the other. Flynt grabbed hold of the nearest soldier to him, spun him around, and used him as a human shield. Barton almost reached the bus before the ammo in his rifle ran out. He dropped it without pause, and drew his pistol. The grenadier glanced down from atop the bus and spotted him. He aimed the grenade launcher downward, too panicked to even consider the other soldiers Barton was running past. Barton brought up the pistol and shot the grenadier through the head. Flynt fired at the soldiers near the bus, giving Barton cover. Barton jumped, grabbed hold of the bus, and pulled himself up.  
The bullhead opened fire on the crowd. Everybody who couldn't dive for cover was cut down. A bloody slice was carved through the riot. Barton grabbed the grenade launcher, and took aim. He fired, sending a grenade streaking towards the bullhead. It struck the left engine directly, blowing it apart. The soldiers who'd been taking aim at Barton were distracted by the bullhead above them spiralling and spinning out of control. It crashed down into the street, on top of the Atlesian military, and exploded, consuming dozens of them in a massive fireball.  
The military forces' will was broken, and they rushed to retreat so desperately that some of them trampled each other. Barton looked back to Flynt, and grinned. Flynt gave him a quick salute. Barton stood, looking for a way off the top of the bus. A shot ripped through his torso from behind, from the direction of the retreating military. Flynt gasped. Barton keeled over, and stumbled towards the edge of the bus. A half dozen more shots hit him in the chest and head, and he tumbled down to the street.  
“No!” Flynt shouted, “Damn it!”  
A resistance fighter stumbled up to Flynt. He'd been injured, but had bandages hastily applied to his right arm and head. He was carrying a riot shotgun he'd taken from a dead soldier.  
“What do we do, Flynt?” He asked.  
Flynt looked over to the fallen body of Barton. He sighed, then puffed out his chest, and turned to the crowd.  
“They're retreating!” He yelled, “Advance!”

* * *

 

  
A dozen exo-suited soldiers charged down the hall, arming power fists, and loading heavy machine guns. Weiss and Winter were cutting down a horde of droids when they spotted them coming. Weiss thrust her sword through the droid in front of her, then kicked the droid in the chest. It flew back through the air, smashing into a droid coming up behind Winter. Then, she aimed her sword down the hall at the charging soldiers. She fired a stream of ice out of Myrtenaster, striking the floor in front of the soldiers. A massive formation of ice grew out of the floor and all the way up to the ceiling, blocking off the hall completely. Through the translucent wall, Weiss could see the soldiers skid to a halt and stare at the blockage, unsure of how to deal with it. A droid behind her aimed at her with its rifle. Weiss didn't even have to turn around before Winter sliced off its arms, then its head.  
“That's the last of the Ice Dust,” Weiss said, “We need to hurry.”  
They turned to run down the hall in the other direction. An elevator up ahead opened, and a group of soldiers spilled out, each armed with a riot shield. They formed a blockade in the hall, attempting to box the Schnee sisters in. A flashbang grenade was thrown over the row of shields, landing at Weiss and Winter's feet. Winter stepped forward and kicked it, and they both shielded their eyes. It struck the shields and exploded, the barriers protecting the soldiers.  
Weiss spun Myrtenaster's cylinder, selecting Fire Dust. She aimed at the floor and fired. A hole was blown open beneath their feet, and they dropped straight through. As Winter dropped, she waved a hand upwards, placing a Summoning Glyph on the floor they were dropping away from. An Ursa Major burst forth from the Glyph and charged the encroaching forces, guarding Weiss and Winter's improvised route. Weiss and Winter landed in the corridor, which had only a few guards and personnel moving through it. The guards raised their weapons, and the other personnel dashed in either direction, trying to get away from the two of them. Winter bolted forward, cutting down the nearest soldier, and throwing her short sword at the one behind him. Weiss charged at the soldiers in the other direction, dodging between shots as she closed the distance.  
“We were on the right floor,” Winter called, “Now we have to get back up there.”  
“I know,” Weiss said, “I'm improvising.”  
Winter parried a few incoming shots as she ran to pick up the sword she'd thrown. She snatched it from the fallen soldier, then spun, cutting through the last few soldiers shooting at her. Weiss glanced back and realized the distance between them had grown. She planted her foot on a soldier's chest and pushed off of him, knocking him back and sending her into the air. She placed a Glyph in her path and shot through it, rocketing toward Winter. She landed, and slid along the floor, sending a few more Dust blasts behind her. She came to a stop next to her sister as Winter started around the corner at the end of the corridor.  
Down the next hall, amid the fleeing personnel, Winter caught sight of a man in a general's uniform.  
“He'll do.” She said.  
She took off running, shoving a few people out of her way. A group of soldiers appeared at the other end of the hall, and the general ran behind them. Weiss fired a few Dust blasts, the shots snaking in between personnel, past Winter, and hitting each soldier in the chest. Winter jumped and flipped as she closed in on them, and cut them down as she landed. She tossed her short sword to her other hand, and it merged with its larger half. She grabbed the general by the shoulder, yanked him to her, and spun him around. She put the sword to his throat.  
“Hope you're too important to shoot through.” Winter said.  
Weiss caught up with Winter, and turned to cover them from behind.  
“How far is this going to get us?” Weiss asked.  
“I don't know,” Winter said, “I'm improvising too.”

* * *

 

  
The resistance had beaten back the military’s forces, all the way into the wealthiest district in the city. The people of Atlas weren’t fighting with bats and molotovs, anymore. They’d armed themselves with machine guns, assault rifles, and grenade launchers that they’d taken from the fallen soldiers they’d stepped over. The open warfare wasn’t tearing apart storefronts and government buildings anymore. It was tearing apart the homes of the wealthy, and upper-class apartment buildings. And far down the street, one could see out of the grid of the city, into the hills outside the city. Nestled in the hills, casting light out into the night sky, was the shape of Schnee Manor.  
“Keep pushing forward!” Flynt shouted, from the front of the advancing crowd, “Don’t give them a chance to regroup!”  
Flynt had personally seen over a hundred soldiers die in the past few days. He’d seen far more civilians gunned down, bombed, or executed. The cost of all this fighting was starting to weigh on him. But the people had taken the war out of his hands now. They’d been freed from a prison of propaganda and subjugation that they hadn’t even realized they’d been trapped in, and now they were pissed. Flynt knew he couldn’t stop them, any more than Schnee could. Whether they won tonight or not, Schnee’s government was going to end the same way all dictatorships did.  
Flynt saw a group of soldiers attempting to climb up to a heavy machine gun on the back of a military truck. He fired in bursts at the gun, scattering the soldiers. His rifle ran out of ammo, and he grabbed for another magazine. Finding he was out, he took cover behind a burning car.  
“Somebody take out that truck!” He shouted, pointing over the wreck.  
A resistance fighter wearing a stolen gas mask, and armed with a miniaturized rocket launcher, took aim at the truck and fired. The truck exploded, consuming the machine gun in the fireball. Flynt caught a glimpse of Atlas soldiers fleeing the burning wreck, engulfed in flame. He turned to the resistance fighter, and nodded.  
“This will all be worth it,” the fighter told him, “Once we- Flank!”  
The fighter was pointing desperately past Flynt, back towards the crowd of civilians and defecting military. Before Flynt could turn, the fighter was cut down in a hail of fire. Flynt spun to the source of the shots, and his eyes widened in horror. Emerging from an alley, well behind the resistance’s front line, was an Atlesian spider-mech. It had killed the man beside Flynt with a heavy machine gun, but this was among its smaller armaments. Built into the center of the machine’s “head”, was a 40mm cannon. The mech hummed as it powered up its main gun, aiming at the crowd.  
Flynt charged forward, tossing aside his assault rifle. Reaching for his belt, he grabbed two of the grenades he’d procured earlier in the fight. Both were Fire Dust. The crowd around him was scrambling to get away from the spider-mech. The unexpected flank had thrown them off-kilter, stopping their advance on the military lines. Flynt reached the spider-mech and slid along the ground, passing under the machine. He popped the pin on one of the grenades, and tossed it at the spider’s right back leg. The grenade managed to wedge itself into one of the joints of the leg, staying in place. Flynt slid out from under the mech, letting his momentum bring him backup to his feet, then dove forward. The grenade exploded, and the mech’s leg gave out under it. The mech tilted backwards, and its main cannon was pulled up and away from the crowd. It fired, sending a 40mm explosive shell careening over the crowd, and into the side of the apartment building behind them. The wall exploded outward, sending shrapnel, glass, and bits of concrete over the crowd.  
The mech spun its head around, and seemed to catch sight of Flynt specifically. It deployed its machine gun and fired. Flynt jumped, flipped, and evaded the barrage.  
“Come on, you want me?” Flynt yelled, “Come and get me!”  
He turned and dashed down the alley that the mech had appeared from, keeping watch over his shoulder to make sure the mech was giving chase. It lurched into the alley again, stumbling on its damaged leg. It fired a barrage of mini-missiles at Flynt. Flynt jumped, propelled himself off one wall, and spun in the air, dodging the projectiles. He didn’t know how he would deal with this machine, but for the moment, he’d settle for drawing it away from the civilians. Up ahead, he could see the end of the alley. He sprinted for it, hoping to get the mech back out into the open. To Flynt’s surprise, the mech fired its main cannon again. The massive shell shot over Flynt’s shoulder, and slammed into the wall just at the end of the alley. The wall blew apart, and the entire corner of the building started to crumble. Debris filled the alley in front of Flynt, and when the dust cleared, he saw that his escape had been entirely blocked off. He skidded to a stop, and heard the mech stop behind him. He turned and faced the machine. It took aim at him with its main gun, but didn’t start powering it up yet. It seemed to be waiting for him to make the first move. Flynt looked from the machine to the grenade in his hand. He nodded.  
“Alright,” he shouted, “Come on!”  
He popped the pin, and threw the grenade. He was aiming to land it right in the barrel of the mech’s cannon. As the grenade flew towards its target, the mech adjusted its aim slightly. It fired one shot from its machine gun, blasting the grenade out of the air. It exploded uselessly between Flynt and the mech. The mech took aim with its cannon again, and began powering up.  
“Shit.” Flynt said.  
The cannon hummed up, and prepared to fire. Flynt braced himself. A split second before the cannon fired, a streak of red hit the ground in front of Flynt. The cannon fired, and Flynt saw the glint of a massive scythe being swung. The two halves of the shell flew to either side of him, tearing the walls of the alley apart. The impact of the shell against the scythe sent Ruby sliding backwards, until she stopped next to Flynt.  
“Hey Flynt, how’s the revolution going?” Ruby asked.  
The spider-mech fired its machine gun, and Flynt and Ruby dodged back and forth. Ruby used Speed to shoot up to the top of the mech, and brought his scythe down on it. She sliced through its head, sending up bursts of sparks. The main gun began powering up again, and Ruby jumped onto the barrel, hacking at it wildly. She flipped off of it, and when the cannon fired, the barrel was blown apart, the shell exploding inside the mess of twisted metal. Ruby landed as the explosion spread to the mech’s head, blowing it apart. What remained of the mech collapsed into a pile of scrap.  
“Thanks,” Flynt said, “We’re closing in on the Manor. Where’s Weiss? Winter?”  
“They’re there,” Ruby said, “Weiss thought it was up to the Schnees to finish this.”  
“Then it’s up to us to protect the civilians.” Flynt said.  
“Let’s go.” Ruby said.

* * *

 

 

Weiss and Winter neared the top of the staircase back up to the fourth floor. Winter was still dragging along the general she was using as a shield. Weiss was flicking her sword between aiming back and aiming ahead of them.  
“You want to take down Schnee,” The general said, stammering, “I can help you if you promise that-”  
“Shut up,” Winter said.  
“We’re near his office,” Weiss said, “He’ll be holed up there. Too much of a coward to do anything but hide.”  
Winter tossed the general down on the steps. He moved to get up.  
“Don’t move,” she said, “Not done with you yet.”  
Weiss and Winter pulled out their scrolls, and a pair of headphones each. They’d taken advantage of the removal of the communications block by downloading a bunch of music on to their scrolls. Weiss didn’t particularly care for metal, but they needed something loud. Something that would drown out everything around them. Weiss put her headphones on, looked to Winter, then hit play.  
They advanced out of the staircase, Winter once again ducked behind the general. The path to Whitley’s office ahead of them was lines on either side by a row of soldiers. At the sight of Weiss and Winter, they all raised their weapons. Weiss raised her sword. The two sides stared at each other. One of the soldiers was yelling orders. Weiss couldn’t hear him. The general was pleading something, but Weiss couldn’t hear that either. The world was drowned out by a symphony of percussion and bass guitar. Up ahead, Weiss could see the door to Whitley’s office. To her shock, it opened.  
Whitley stepped out into the hall. He walked out to just behind the last row of his soldiers, and crossed his arms. He yelled something out to the two of them. Weiss and Winter looked at each other. Winter shrugged. Weiss looked back to Whitley. He said something, seemingly louder. He pointed a finger at them as he shouted. It was clear he was trying to command them again. Nothing happened. Whitley looked at the two of them with sudden fright. Weiss tapped a finger to her headphones, and made a show of shrugging at Whitley.  
Whitley’s face went from anger to annoyance. He waved a hand and gave an order, this time to his subordinates. All at once, they all fired. Weiss dodged right. Winter dodged left, and the general was riddled with bullets. Weiss and Winter took cover on either side of the hall, behind two large stone pillars. They looked to each other through the hail of bullets. Winter glanced down at the dead general, and gave Weiss a dark grin. She deployed her short sword from the larger one. Weiss spun Myrtenaster’s cylinder.  
They burst out from behind the pillars just as the soldiers’ magazines went dry. Most went to reload, a few reached for their sidearms. Weiss and Winter reached the first row of soldiers and cut them down. Weiss kicked one soldier’s body back towards the others, then strafed, firing blasts of lightning at anybody taking aim at her. Winter spun as she charged forward, deflecting bullets away from her and back to the soldiers who fired them. Up ahead, Weiss saw Whitley dive back into his office and slam the door.  
 _Wait right there for us, Whitley,_ Weiss thought,  _We're coming._  
Weiss thrust her sword through the soldier in front of him, drew it out, and flipped over him. She fired a blast of Gravity Dust at the ground, knocking a group of soldiers in front of her into the air. She leapt to the first, and stabbed him through the neck. She jumped between each soldier, giving each a single lethal strike. Winter caught sight of this, and propelled herself off the wall beside her. She spring-boarded off one of the floating soldiers and came down, swords spinning, on the group past them.  
Hearing the thumping music in her ears, killing Atlesian soldiers in her own house, the whole thing was so surreal to Weiss. She wasn’t sure if she was preventing a global war or starting one. Without sound, her awareness was limited. All she could focus on was the next soldier to cut down. The door to Whitley’s office was getting closer. Weiss fought harder and harder with each step, eager to finish this.  
One final soldier stood in her path to the door. He raised a handgun. Weiss charged, spun, and knocked the gun out of his hands with a roundhouse kick. Weiss caught Winter land beside her in her peripheral vision. They both spun in opposite directions, each putting a kick into the soldier’s chest. He was thrown back, crashing through the door. Weiss and Winter walked forward through the door.  
Inside the office, Whitley was standing behind his desk. Two soldiers stood on either side of the desk, weapons ready. Weiss and Winter readied their swords. They took a step forward, and immediately each felt the barrel of a shotgun pressed against their backs. They glanced over their shoulders to see two more soldiers who’d been hiding on either side of the door. They glanced back to Whitley. He smirked.  
In a single motion, Weiss and Winter spun. Weiss slapped the barrel of the shotgun pointed at her to the left, while Winter slapped the one aimed at her to the right. Both shotguns fired, each blasting the other soldier. The soldiers on either side of the desk took aim. Weiss and Winter threw their swords. The two swords criss-crossed in midair on the way to the desk, and planted themselves in their targets. Whitley watched his last two defenders fall in amazement.  
Weiss began walking forward. The music was still thumping loudly in her ears. Whitley ran his tongue over his front teeth, then gave a defeated smile. The casualness of the smile caught Weiss by surprise for a second. With a surprisingly swift movement, Whitley stepped forward and snatched something from the desk in front of him. Weiss hadn’t noticed it there, her attention had been on Whitley. It was Ironwood’s revolver. Whitley raised it, took aim at Weiss, and fired.

* * *

 

Weiss stared down at the ringing scroll, and the image of Whitley it was displaying. She looked between Ruby and Winter. The cold Atlas winds blew around the three of them. Mercury was already walking back towards the destroyed November Facility, looking to find transport back to the city. After a moment, Weiss hit “Accept.” She put the scroll to her ear, and waited. There was silence for a moment.  
“Hello, Weiss.” Whitley said.  
“Whitley.” Weiss replied.  
“My Semblance doesn't work over a scroll,” Whitley said, “In case you were wondering.”  
“Why are you calling me?” Weiss asked, “Are you calling to demand I surrender? Or threaten me?”  
“That's a rich idea, isn't it?” Whitley said, “After everything I've sent against you has failed, after you've destroyed so much of my hard work, you would insult me? Do you think me so stupid that I might still believe I can stop you?”  
“You called to beg for mercy, then,” Weiss said, “It's my turn to be insulted.”  
For a moment, Weiss heard nothing but heavy breath.  
“I've come to accept that there's no convincing you that all I've done has been for the betterment of the world,” Whitley said, “To save it, as you once did. I could never do what you do, but I thought, with other methods, I might achieve what you achieved.”  
“You've never lied to anyone as much as you lie to yourself,” Weiss said, “You want to believe I'm fighting you out of childish contempt, but you know it's because what you're doing to Atlas- to the world- is monstrous. And you want to believe that what you're doing is part of some grand purpose, some greater good, because you won't admit this has all been about your jealousy.”  
“I have nothing to be jealous of, Weiss,” Whitley said, “The world doesn't need people like you, anymore. It needs people like me. Humanity doesn't need to be protected from monsters. It only has to be protected from itself. I can do that. You can't.”  
“Alright, so you still haven't accepted it,” Weiss said, “Fine. Then why did you call?”  
“Not for mercy, and not to threaten,” Whitley said, “I called to offer a truce. Leave Atlas. Leave my Kingdom.”  
Weiss laughed. A sharp laugh of disgust. Ruby and Winter looked at her, curious.  
“Have you not done enough damage?” Whitley asked, “Harbinger is destroyed. The city is in chaos. My control of the people has been wrested from me. Can you not simply call it a day? Go home. You win.”  
“Not yet,” Weiss said, “I made you a promise on your ship. I'm going to keep it.”  
“And what will killing me achieve?” Whitley asked, “Do you think showing the world what I have done changes things? Do you honestly think there's anything I could do to make the Kingdoms overlook that a Huntress has torn down a government? Do you think they'll accept that you had the authority to make that decision? Or will they realize that they cannot allow a group of super-powered anarchists to act without any accountability, killing anybody they disagree with? Make no mistake, Weiss, play hero all you want. Killing me will show the world what I already know. Eventually, all of the world will turn on you.”  
“I thought you weren't calling to beg.” Weiss said.  
“It is best for both of us if you just leave,” Whitley said, now speaking in a defeated whisper, “When I said you'd won, I meant it. I'll destroy every bit of research, anything that even references Harbinger. I'll have every scientist and engineer who worked on it silenced. The saner world they would have created is gone forever. All I ask is that you accept victory and leave. And never come back.”  
“You know that's not going to happen.” Weiss said.  
There was a long silence between them.  
“All of my forces have been called to the Manor,” Whitley said, “You won't get within a kilometer before they descend on you. We're watching the skies with anti-air turrets... Even so... if you get through... you would not be foolish enough to give me a chance to speak.”  
“No.”  
“Then this is our last chance to talk,” Whitley said, “So tell me: is there anything I could do to change your mind?”  
Silence. Weiss lowered the scroll from her ear, and hit 'End Call.' She looked to the others.  
“Winter, how high can your Nevermore Summon fly?” Weiss asked.

* * *

 

The massive bullet shot past Weiss’s shoulder, punching a hole in the wall behind her. The revolver flew backwards and slammed into Whitley’s face, knocking him back. He stumbled, trying to regain his footing, but he was already falling. Weiss reached the desk and vaulted over it. As Whitley fell to the ground, he sent another shot into the ceiling. This time the revolver wrenched itself from his hand and clattered along the floor.  
Weiss reached Whitley, grabbed him by the front of his jacket, and pulled him up. She brought her fist down on his face, and knocked him back to the floor. He held up his hands, desperately trying to shield himself. Weiss knocked his hands away and punched him again. This time he seemed to try to crawl away. Weiss punched him again.  
Whitley flailed at her again, and this time, he caught hold of something. His fingers hooked onto the cord of her headphones, and he pulled down. The headphones were yanked from Weiss’s ears, bounced off Whitley’s chest, and hit the floor.  
“W-”  
Weiss clapped her hand down over Whitley’s mouth.  
“Shut up!” She screamed, “Just shut up!”  
One hand over his mouth, she kept punching him. She ripped the bandages from the side of his face and punched the wound. This time, she could hear his muffled cries of pain. She punched until she was sure he was too addled to speak. The only indication he was still conscious was his eyes drifting around, trying to see through his squinted eyelids.  
Weiss looked up. Winter had walked around the desk, and was watching this. Winter walked past Weiss and Whitley, and picked Ironwood’s revolver up off the floor. She walked back, and aimed the revolver down at Whitley’s head.  
“I’ll do it,” Winter said, “Ironwood and I pulled you into this fight. It shouldn’t be you who has to do it.”  
Weiss stared down at her brother. She looked at her sister, putting a gun to his head. She stared at the revolver for a moment. She wanted to demand Winter give her the gun. She wanted to tell Winter to shoot. She wanted to take the gun, toss it aside, and beat Whitley into a bloody pulp. A thought occurred to her.  
“Wait.” She said.  
Weiss opened up Whitley’s jacket, and saw that the vest underneath had several pockets. The top right pocket had a row of ornate pens. Weiss snatched one, and put it to Whitley’s neck. She took a second to ensure it was positioned correctly. Then, she punched the end of it. The pen was stabbed into Whitley’s throat. Winter recoiled in shock. Whitley opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.  
“Don’t be such a baby,” Weiss said, “You’ll live. It’s better than you deserve, you piece of shit.”  
She stood, and turned to the desk. She picked up the phone from the desk. It automatically connected her to a secretary, or receptionist, or somebody. Weiss didn’t care who.  
“Mr. Schnee?” The voice said, “Have the hostiles…? Is everything alright, sir?”  
“Everything is fine,” Weiss said, “This is Weiss Schnee. I’m in control of this place now. Bring… please bring a medical team for my brother.”  
“A- a med- what?”  
Weiss hung up. Winter walked over to her, still keep the revolver trained on Whitley.  
“He was right,” Weiss said, “A Huntress can’t kill the leader of a Kingdom. Not even one like him. I’ll be vindicated for removing him from power. I wouldn’t be for assassinating him.”  
“And we can risk leaving him alive?” Winter asked.  
“I severed his vocal chords,” Weiss said, “He’ll never control anyone again. He’s harmless now.”  
Weiss turned back to Whitley, and leaned over him. Whitley looked up at her in terror, his hand approaching the pen in his throat, but terrified to touch it.  
“Don’t think this is mercy,” She said, “And don’t think I did it because I didn’t want to kill you. You’re going to go in front of a war crimes tribunal, and then you’re going to spend the rest of your life in prison. You haven’t even begun paying for everything you’ve done.”  
Weiss saw tears welling in Whitley’s eyes as he stared up at her. The door to the office opened, and Weiss turned to face it. First, a group of soldiers rushed in, followed by a medical team, then a few of Whitley’s generals. The soldiers aimed their weapons at Weiss and Winter, unsure of what to do.  
“Get my brother medical attention, and put him in a cell.” Weiss said.  
She looked into the eyes of the generals, and they stared back at her.  
“Yes, ma’am,” One of them finally said, then, to the soldiers, “Stand down, gentlemen.”  
“Put an announcement out to Atlas, and the rest of the Kingdoms,” Winter ordered, “Whitley’s government is over. He’s removed from power, and all those who worked for him will stand trial.”  
“…Understood.”  
Weiss and Winter watched as the medical team went to work on Whitley.  
“It’s over.” Winter said, “Everything he did… it’s done.”  
Weiss looked up to the painting of the Vacuo campaign on the wall. It was stained by something splattered over it.  
“Whitley is finished,” Weiss said, “But everything he did, everything he planned to do… we haven’t seen the last of the mark he’s put on Atlas. There will be consequences to all this, and they might not be something we can fight with a sword.”  
“Do you think we stopped a war?” Winter asked.  
“Maybe,” Weiss said, “If we ever could have.”  
Winter looked down at the revolver in her hand. She opened her coat, and slid the revolver inside.  
“One way or another, I think we saved Atlas tonight,” Winter said, “Do you think it was worth it?”  
“Yeah,” Weiss said, “Yeah, it was worth it.”


	24. Epilogue

Mercury walked into the hangar bay, scanning for any movement. The bay was part of a military facility nearby the Schnee Manor, close to where the fighting had stopped. All of Atlas’s military had surrendered, and laid down their arms. The celebration of the crowd could still be heard from several blocks away. People were cheering, and raiding stores for liquor. An impromptu singing of the Atlas national anthem was spreading through the crowd. Mercury confirmed that he was alone, then headed for one of the bullheads.  
He checked the airship over from the outside, and confirmed that it was flight-worthy. He opened the door to the pilot’s cabin and climbed in. He gave the controls a quick pre-flight check. He confirmed that the bullhead had enough fuel to get him off of Solitas. He glanced out the open bay doors. He nodded, and started the bullhead up. As the engines hummed to life, Mercury sensed a shift of movement in the back of the aircraft.  
Before he could turn around, he felt the end of a pistol touch his shoulder. He sighed.  
“Going somewhere?” Ruby asked.  
“Come on, Red,” Mercury said, “Can we call it a day?”  
“I told you when this started, you don’t get to walk away.” Ruby said, “You still have to pay for Beacon.”  
“I just helped save Atlas,” Mercury said, “Does that buy me any points?”  
Ruby pushed the handgun against Mercury’s back a little harder.  
“Yeah,” she said, “It buys you me not shooting you right now. Let me bring you in. We’ll see what it buys you in a trial.”  
“Red, if you think this was about me looking for redemption or some crap like that, you’re mistaken,” Mercury said, “I was in Atlas doing a job. Job’s done. I’m leaving.”  
“Not if I have anything to-”  
Something clattered to the floor from the cockpit. Ruby glanced down. A flashbang grenade had been dropped to her feet. Mercury ducked out of way of the handgun as the flashbang went off. Everything went white, and Ruby fell back, flailing blindly. In her daze, she was vaguely aware of Mercury grabbing hold of her. As her senses slowly came back to her, she found herself lying on the floor of the hangar, a few meters from the bullhead. Mercury was leaning against the bullhead, holding the handgun. Crescent Rose had been taken from Ruby’s belt, and was resting next to his feet.  
“Thanks for not shooting me in the back,” Mercury said, “I’d have shot me in the back.”  
“A flashbang, you asshole?” Ruby asked, in disbelief.  
“We’ve both had a busy week, Red, and us killing each other would be dumb way to cap it off,” Mercury said.  
He climbed back into the bullhead. He flipped a few switches on the dash, preparing for liftoff.  
“You don’t get to kill me,” He said, “But, I’m not going to kill you either.”  
“Mercury,” Ruby said, still trying to shake her head clear, “Yang is going to know you’re alive. We’ll both be looking for you. You best hope I find you before her.”  
“Good luck.” Mercury said.  
He closed the cockpit door. The bullhead lifted off, the exhaust from the engines blowing Crescent Rose along the floor. The bullhead turned to the open bay doors, and shot forward, disappearing from sight.

* * *

 

  
“…And that’s the last I saw of him.” Ruby said.  
She was sitting back in a recliner, a cup of coffee in her hand. Weiss, Blake, and Yang were sitting in the other chairs of the lounge. Yang was listening intently. Blake was sipping at her tea, deep in thought. Weiss had her own coffee, which seemed to be doing little keeping her awake. They were in Menagerie, a little over a week since the fall of the Schnee Government.  
“You saw how much fuel was in the bullhead?” Yang asked.  
“Enough to go to Vale, or Mistral,” Ruby said, “The first thing he’d do in either of those places is fuel up and go further. I say we start in Vacuo.”  
“That can come later,” Blake said, “Our priority should be on the transition of power in Atlas.”  
“Flynt and Winter are the de facto leaders at the moment,” Weiss said, “They’re pushing for the reinstatement of the council.”  
“And the new council members will be democratically elected.” Ruby added.  
“Democracy in Atlas,” Yang said, “Imagine that.”  
“Atlas has been bombarded with propaganda for years,” Blake said, “If they’re given democracy… can they be trusted to make an informed decision?”  
“Everything that Whitley did, he did because he didn’t trust people,” Weiss said, “… and because he had delusions of grandeur, and because of Father, and because he was a bastard in general. But also the trust thing.”  
“People are talking about you,” Ruby said, looking at Weiss, “For the council, I mean. All you did to save the city. They want you protecting it.”  
“What if the Schnees have done enough in Atlas?” Weiss asked, “It shouldn’t be me. Besides, I’m a better Huntress than a politician.”  
“You tried changing the reputation of your name as a Huntress,” Blake said, “As far as anyone in this room is concerned, you succeeded.”  
“Yeah,” Yang said, “I’ve met two Schnees. Both are pretty okay.”  
Blake chuckled, then continued.  
“But all your life, your father, and then your brother were in power,” Blake said, “You were fighting an uphill battle. Now, it could be your turn. Not to wield power over others, but for others.”  
“it’d also be helpful, you know,” Ruby said, “Having you on the inside for what comes next.”  
Yang looked to her sister in confusion. She raised an eyebrow at Weiss.  
“Whitley offered to purge his government of everyone who knew about Harbinger,” Weiss said, “He didn’t. There could still be people in the government who know.”  
“And we’ll have to do everything in our power to make sure Harbinger is never recreated.” Blake said.  
“Along with keeping the tensions between the Kingdoms from boiling over into a war,” Ruby said, “We’re going to be busy for a while.”  
“You said it was one mission,” Yang jested, “For a week.”  
“Yeah, well, we got unlucky.” Ruby said.  
Weiss sat up straight. She tossed back the rest of her coffee. She blinked a few times to wake herself up.  
“Alright,” She said, “Let’s get started.”


End file.
